The Boy Who Lived
by Nini87
Summary: What if Voldemort tried to kill Neville instead of Harry? What would their lives be like? A translation from "El niño que vivió". *Images belongs to Rikojasmine/Botanicaxu*
1. Prologue

Hello there.** Harry Potter is not mine**, neither the original idea of this story, which is an authorized translation from it's version in Spanish by the author Maritza chan (link on my profile). I'm just making this for fun.

This project wouldn't be possible without the help of ArwenFairTinuviel. Visit her profile, she has good fics too.

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It was October 31st. Lord Voldemort was about to kill the one that in the future would defeat him. But, what if he had decided not to kill Harry Potter, but Neville Longbottom instead? What would Harry's life have been like?

That night Lord Voldemort tried to take the life of baby Neville; but something went wrong and Neville survived with only a scar: his parents had died trying to defend him. Voldemort had fallen and baby Neville was placed in the hands of his grandmother and other relatives.

Peter Pettigrew remained the traitor, for he had befriended the Longbottoms and betrayed them. He escaped with impunity. Sirius and the Potters were hunting down those last followers who insisted on searching for their vanquished master. Among them were the Lestranges and Barty Crouch Jr, who encountered the Potters and, believing that they knew something, they heartlessly tortured them into insanity. Sirius was enraged, but his cousin and the others were simply sent to Azkaban with no further punishment. Baby Harry went to stay with Sirius, as James and Lily would have wanted.

Sirius also had a son, Charles, who was a couple of months older than Harry. The mother of Charles was called Clarisse Waterfalls, soon to be Black.

...And so my story begins.

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I know is short, but is how the author wrote it in Spanish.


	2. Early childhood

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

Since the first chapter is so short, here's the second one. Enjoy!

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"I can't believe it. I still can't believe what has happened to them..." Sirius said as he returned to his room after laying the little ones in their beds.

"My love, it is not your fault," said his wife, Clarissa, consolingly.

"I know. But it would have been better if they had died, than this!"

"Sirius!"

"OK, but I can't keep hearing Harry calling for Lily, I can't do it!" Sirius cried despairingly, resting his head in Clarisse's lap.

"Let's worry when he is older and we have to tell him what happened to his parents. For now, let's try to raise him as James and Lily would have wanted. I'm sure that even if they can't say it, they will be thankful inside." Sirius gave a sob. "Imagine if Neville had not been Chosen One..." Clarissa mused.

"Don't even say it!" Sirius exclaimed angrily.

"Who would Harry be with now?" Clarisse asked, ignoring her husband.

"Well, here with us! That filthy rat Pettigrew..."

"Well, it is useless to cry over spilled milk. Why not get some rest? Now that the Order has been dissolved, I think we should devote ourselves to raising our two children."

"Our two children?" Sirius went from anger to bewilderment in a flash.

"Harry is ours now. He is part of our family and that, Sirius, will not change."

Sirius smiled and hugged his beloved tightly. That's why he had chosen her - she was understanding and loving, always open to new ideas or anything else related to Sirius. He did not know what would become of him without her support. He kissed her and together they went to bed, after some time of activity, to rest and to begin a new life after the temporary fall of the dark side.

And thus time continued its relentless march. The days passed and baby Harry adapted to his new family. His new brother, like all children, was at first upset that all the attention was diverted towards the new family member, but with the passage of time the boys became like true blood brothers. The childhood of a normal wizard child is not very interesting, but remember, even though Harry was not the Boy Who Lived, he was still Harry - the boy to whom strange things often happened, even if he tried to avoid them!

One such case came with the number 31. Since his parents were tortured to insanity, Harry had begun to have a bad luck with everything that had to do with that number. The 31st of the month was always something unusual, however little, including his birthday, Halloween and New Year. When he learned to fly, he fell and dislocated his shoulder on March 31st. Most of his birthdays were ruined by rain and flu, and on Halloween he either received stale candy or nothing at all.

But not all was bad for him. Sirius met his indulgent father role admirably well. For neither children felt neglected by either parent. They used to buy both children the same things, so that each had several types of kids' brooms and all kinds of wizarding toys, including small toy wands. In his room, Harry had begun to form an interesting collection of all sorts of brooms.

Remus, who had married and since become divorced, and Richard Lupin, his son, spent good seasons with Richard's mother Rebecca, who was one of Clarisse's best friends, at home with the boys. Sirius and Remus already saw in the group of children a new generation of Marauders and already imagined their adventures; but their wives did not like to think the same thing.

"I do not want my child to be a sappy wizard when he starts at Hogwarts!" Rebecca exclaimed one day, whilst they were on a picnic.

"What are you saying, Rebecca?" her friend Clarisse asked incredulously as she watched the naughty kids out of the corner of her eye.

"I'm planning to send Richard to a regular muggle school for several years before he goes to Hogwarts," she answered.

"Well, that does not sound so bad, maybe I should send Charles and Harry to one as well."

"You should. It's not right that they should believe that witches and wizards are superior to Muggles," Rebecca said firmly. She came from a remarkable wizarding family, but at the same time she was aware of the muggle world around her.

"True," Clarisse agreed.

"Tell me, has Harry ever seen his parents?" Rebecca asked, lowering her voice.

"Last week we went with him to St. Mungo's. He is five years old now and I thought it was time that he should meet them."

"Oh, and how did he react?"

"Well, not bad. Sirius and I already had told him his parents were sick..." Clarisse sighed.

"So?" Rebecca pressed.

"The truth is he did not like it much. He asked why it happened and we have no way of telling him..." Clarisse said with tears in her eyes. "... But he said wants to visit them so that they do not feel alone there."

"He's such a good boy," Rebecca murmured. "I can't imagine what it would be like if..." but she could not finish because her friend threw her a murderous glare that shut her up for a while.

The little ones were talking about the same topic on the playground.

"Really?!" The tone of disbelief at the words of his brother was notorious.

"Yes... They seem like they're too far," said Harry.

"Are they really your parents?" Charles asked. He had not gone with Harry to St. Mungo's to meet James and Lily.

"I TOLD you that they are!" Harry said exasperatedly. "My other mummy has red hair and green eyes like mine. And my daddy is like another daddy like Sirius."

"But why do they not pick you up or visit you at home?" Charles asked, having difficulty in understanding this matter.

"Because they are sick. They do not speak."

"Poor things," said Richard. "I would not like to see my daddy like that."

"Nor would I," seconded Charles.

"Well, I like them," said Harry defiantly.

"Oh, you'll never guess who I saw yesterday when we came to Godric's Hollow!" said Richard suddenly, remembering a better event.

"Who?" the other children asked in unison.

"The Boy Who Lived...!"

"Seriously?!" said Harry and Charles, looking at each other in amazement.

"Did you see the scar?" Charles asked immediately.

"No, you know my mum always walks fast," said Richard frustratedly. "I really did want to see the scar..."

"I want to be famous too when I grow up," said Charles.

"And I want to defeat a dark wizard," Harry joined in.

Then later that night, there was an argument in the Black house, since Clarisse was determined to send the children to a muggle school and Sirius flatly refused. Yet in the end, she won, and Sirius had to resign himself to the bizarre idea.

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Thanks for reading.


	3. At preschool

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

Finally, after some very busy weeks in the muggle world, here is the next chapter.

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"How cute they look!" Clarisse said after finishing dressing the kids with their new uniforms.

"I don't see why you have to make a big deal about it..." complained Sirius, who saw nothing exciting to see their children go to preschool – but even so he took a picture.

"Yeah, sure..." she's just dismissing his comment

"She seems crazy," Charles whispered to Harry, raising his eyebrows.

"Duh, just look at these clothes she made us wear!" Harry replied cheekily.

"Rebecca should be arriving soon..." Clarisse said, not noticing their comments.

"Damn kid!" came from outside.

"Yes, she's here…" sighed Clarisse and she opened the door. "Rebecca, that is not the way to treat children!"

"Don't interfere with how I bring up my child! You are a lazy and that's why your kids are so spoiled. Hello Sirius, how are you?"

"I'm fine. I was just wondering who is going to take the kids to preschool."

"I–" started Clarisse.

"You? But you will get lost out there!" Sirius said.

"... I can't, that's what I was going to say! Rebecca will do it, since I don't have a car."

"And you don't need one…" Sirius muttered to his wife indirectly.

"I don't want to go!" Richard whined.

"Don't be silly, of course you're going," her mother said sternly. "Now let's go."

"Goodbye Daddy," the boys said solemnly to Sirius.

"Bye! I hope she doesn't kill them driving," Sirius told Clarisse as soon as the door closed behind Rebecca.

The boys arrived to preschool terrified, not only because they had never attended one, but also because Rebecca spent most of the time yelling things at Richard and not talking much to them.

"Here we are," she said while helping the kids out of the minivan. "I am Richard Lupin's mother," she told the teacher receiving the children, "and these two are Harry Potter and Charles Black, I'm a friend of the family."

"Yes, please come in you three. Err, excuse me for asking, will you be the only one who's going to bring them and pick them up?"

"I imagine that their father will, from time to time."

"Good."

"Goodbye Richard. Behave!"

"Goodbye Mum..."

And they went to preschool. Although at first they were frightened, contact with other children of their age relaxed them and half an hour later they felt as if they had always attended one. Clarisse and Rebecca had made sure they were not out there saying that they were wizards, not because the other children would believe them, but to avoid an early meeting with the teachers. Of course, the meeting came. How wouldn't it, with the little ones (especially Harry and Charles) being demons. But overall the days at preschool were relatively quiet, occasionally with a few scrapes or extra time-off for being naughty, yet nothing major.

There came a day when everyone had to talk about their families, and one by one they stood up and explained who their parents were and what they did for a living. They were speaking in order around a semicircle and the first of the trio to talk was Richard.

"Well... my dad is called Remus... and he has no job," Richard announced.

"Why not?" asked a confused girl.

"Uh... I don't know..."

"Keep talking Richard," said the teacher, smiling at him encouragingly.

"And my mum's name is Rebecca and she's a vet. My parents are separated because they fight a lot."

"Mine too," agreed one child.

"And mine," added another.

"Okay Richard, you can sit down, now it is Charles' turn."

"I... uh, well my dad is called Sirius."

"As in, Serious?"

"No, as in a star." At this some of the kids laughed. Charles continued nonetheless. "And he works... uh... I don't actually know where my dad works, I think with the government."

"Okay, keeping going."

"My mum is called Clarisse and she works at home. My brother is Harry, or so I believe!" And ending with that flourish he sat.

"All right, it's your turn Harry," said the teacher, but Harry was not particularly tempted by the idea. "Come on, Harry, stand up and tell us about your family."

Unwillingly Harry climbed to his feet. "I... I live with Charles, who is like my brother," he began. "And... I have two moms and two dads." The girls stared at him incredulously and the boys started laughing, making him blush.

"Really, how come?"

"Well... my other mum and dad are Sirius and Clarisse, because I have lived with them since I was a baby, and my true dad and my mom are really... sick," he said, making sure not to say 'insane'.

"Keep going. What are their names?"

"James and Lily. They live in a hospital and they can't go to work."

"What disease do they have?" ask the teacher.

"They..." Harry didn't want to say that they were crazy; he didn't want anyone to know that. "...they can't remember anything..."

"Ah. All right Harry, sit down, now it is your turn Dorothy..."

After class there was break time. For some reason everyone was going to play with Charles and not inviting him. Why? Was it because of his parents? No, of course not... or was it? There was nothing else for it but to ask.

"Hey, Kathy!" he called to one of the girls he used to play with. "Can I play with you?"

"No!" she replied.

"Why?"

"Because Jonathan says that what you have is contagious."

"And what do I have?" Harry demanded, annoyed, as he walked over to where Jonathan and his group were playing. Jonathan was the biggest child and the most cunning, and he in no way liked Harry – nor the other two wizards much. Harry didn't know why that boy took such an issue with him, but most of all he wondered why he made up that lie to the other kids. "What do I have, Jonathan?"

"Get out of here! I will not play with the son of two crazy people!"

"My parents are not crazy!" Harry shouted back angrily.

"Well, if not, then they are stupid," he taunted.

"Shut up!"

"Ha! See, it's true, and it's contagious!"

"It is not true!"

"Yeah right," Jonathan sneered. "Well, you're also adopted, because no one else could take care of you."

"Liar!"

"You're not even Black's family," said another child who thought that upsetting Harry was a fun game.

"You..." But deep inside Harry knew there was reason in what they said… and he ran. Adrenaline works miracles, and more so if you add a little magic to it. Somehow, next minute Harry was walking in the streets, alone and sad. Never, never in his life would he tell someone where his parents were or that they were sick. Never!

Harry had managed to sneak through the crowd and had kept walking until he realized that he was completely lost. "Don't cry…" he muttered to himself, and walked on.

He came to a stop in front of a building. It was kind of familiar. Yes, it was indeed! It was the entrance to St. Mungo's from the muggle side, thankfully a place that he knew. Harry waited patiently for someone to enter and got inside with them. He didn't know how he got there, but he was happy anyway. He sneaked through the hospital unseen and found his parents' room. He came to rest when he saw the woman with bright green eyes who looked into space. He was exhausted and still hurting from what Jonathan had said, but in the company of his parents he felt much better.

**xXxXx**

"Why is it that Harry is not showing up?!"

"Please excuse us."

"What kind of place is this?!" bellowed Sirius, who was the one who had gone to fetch the children.

"Honestly, I've looked everywhere and he is truly not here. He has not been seen since break time."

"Since break?" said Sirius angrily.

"Yes, I looked everywhere and… nothing."

"Do you know where he is?" Sirius asked, looking at the other two children behind him.

"I don't know, I was playing hide and seek," Charles whimpered miserably.

"I saw him talking to Jonathan but I need to pee, I saw him run, but I had to go to the bathroom!" explained Richard anxiously.

"In which direction was he running?"

"Oh, I don't remember..." Richard mumbled, big tears forming in his eyes.

"It's okay, it's not your fault. But I want to talk to this guy Jonathan," Sirius demanded of the woman trembling before him.

"He is already gone!"

"Then call his house or give me the damned address!"

"I'll call them..."

After a while the boy's parents joined him. Jonathan maintained that he had not said anything wrong and that Harry had simply run off. As the situation didn't succeed in getting a result, Sirius was forced to go home and tell everything to Clarisse, before leaving the other two kids with her. He was about to go out looking for Harry when an owl arrived.

"St. Mungo's...!" Sirius gasped, hastily reading the letter.

"Oh my! Did something happen to Harry?" Clarisse asked anxiously.

"No, it's okay. He's in James and Lily's room."

"In the name of Merlin, how did he get there?"

"I don't know, but I will go to collect him."

"I want to go too…"

"You can't. Who is going to be with the others?"

"OK. But Sirius?"

"What?" Sirius responded irritably.

"Please don't be hard on him."

The door slammed and Sirius disappeared.

**xXxXx**

Harry was talking with his parents when a nurse found him. She left him there and informed the mediwizard on call. Harry didn't know that they had sent for Sirius and therefore remained in the same place, very quiet. When Sirius arrived he found Harry sitting next to Lily. Harry was frightened. He knew he had done something wrong in running away. The way that Sirius said nothing made him very nervous. The man took him by the arm and dragged him out of the room.

"Why did you run away? You're only five, Harry!"

"I just..." Harry began to say, trying to hold back the tears threatening to break out, "...a boy in the playground told all the others that... that that's contagious..."

"What's that?"

"What my parents have... And nobody wanted to play with me...!"

"Harry, for something like this you don't flee like that," Sirius said, becoming more gentle as he saw young Harry's distress.

"But he said I..." whimpered Harry as Sirius led him by the hand somewhere, "…I was adopted and that no one wanted to take care-"

"OK, I see where this is going. Either way, you should not leave preschool. It's not right. We had a hard time searching for you."

"But I don't know how I got out!" Harry cried. "Or how I got here…" He gave a loud sniff.

"Well, you must understand Harry that everything that Jonathan said is a lie. What your parents have is not contagious. They had an accident, as we already told you," Sirius said, stopping and coming to face the child.

"Okay…"

"And I do love you. I'm your godfather, and I was there to take care of you if something happened to your parents."

"Mmm."

"Now, promise me that you will never escape again."

"I won't," Harry sighed.

"And if that boy bothers you again, I give you permission to hit him," Sirius said calmly, with a wink. He was no longer angry with Harry after hearing what had happened.

"Okay," Harry said, feeling more cheerful.

"Let's go home. Clarisse will be worried." Sirius carried Harry and they disapparated together. When Sirius arrived home, Harry was asleep and Sirius refused to let Clarisse wake him to give him dinner.

"Sirius, I don't think it's a good idea to take him back to preschool," Clarisse said worriedly.

"Of course he has to go back," said Sirius.

"I don't think it is a safe place," she explained.

"You can't protect him all your life, Clarisse."

"But..."

"But no, he'll be fine. These things are good from one point of view."

"Yes, a madman's one!" she cried exasperatedly.

"I'm being serious Clarisse. In going to preschool they will learn many things, not just from class..."

"And all this – from you who did not want them to go in the first place!"

"I was silly, but I believe it is better if Harry keeps going. I'll make sure to go to the meetings with the teachers." Clarisse sighed. Sirius knew he was right in this matter and Clarisse knew she was beaten.

The next day Harry had to go to school like everyone else. Later, when Jonathan tried to mock him for being a 'chicken', he gave him a good punch right in the face. From that day on, none of the other children said anything on the subject of James and Lily Potter.

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Please feel free to review.


	4. Harry's cousin

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

Here is a new chapter to keep up :)

Enjoy.

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There's not much to say about the rest of the childhood years of our dear boys. Obviously, after preschool Rebecca and Clarisse sent them to the primary school and, as this time none of the parents of the boys objected, the case was closed immediately.

They had already turned to seven years old when they received some interesting news.

"Children!" Sirius called to his two sons.

"Dad, is something wrong?" Charles asked, arriving covered in soil.

"I didn't do it," Harry said quickly, after barely setting foot in his godfather's office.

"Err... we'll talk about that later..." Sirius told Harry. _What they have been up to?_ Sirius wondered, but that was not what he had wanted to talk to them about. "After many inquiries I have found someone who is one of Harry's few remaining relatives," he announced.

"Huh? How so?"

"Well, James had a long-lost older brother, or something like that."

"I have an uncle!"

"Do not sing victory so fast, he died a few years ago."

"I bet it was on the 31st of a month," joked Charles.

"Ah..." Harry agreed wisely.

"But he had a daughter and her uncles (on her mother's side) have agreed that she can come to stay with us for a season."

"A _girl?"_ said Charles. "But they are very troublesome and annoying…"

"If I see that you're arguing with her, I'll give you time-out, Charles."

"But they are _boring_," he insisted.

"When is she coming?" Harry asked.

"Tomorrow, so start thinking up some games. We're going to pick her up from the airport."

"Is she a witch?"

"I think so, but she comes from Australia and I think it is better to fly than take a Portkey when it is such a great distance to travel." Then Sirius dismissed them.

Immediately Charles was already grumbling. "Girls are disgusting..."

"They are always playing the smart one..." Harry also complained.

"And they are arrogant."

"And annoying."

"And only talk about boyfriends."

"And clothes."

"And they never want to get their clothes dirty!"

"And they don't like sports."

And so on…

But the next day they still had to go to the airport to fetch their new cousin. The trip seemed to take an eternity and they just wanted to go play Quidditch. Finally the passengers began to descend from the aircraft. It occurred to Harry that they might not know how to recognise her, but pretty quickly she found them.

What at first seemed a boy of their age approached them. _He_ spoke English quite well but what surprised Harry was that the child's voice was not that of a boy, but of a girl.

"Hello, I'm Leslie," she told the group that held a sign with her name.

"Hello," said Sirius, rather taken aback by the appearance of little one. Leslie had short, tousled hair and some beautiful hazel eyes. If she'd had glasses, Sirius would have thought it was the female version of James. "I'm Sirius and these are Charles and Harry, your cousin."

"Are you really a girl?" Charles asked in disbelief.

"Yes," she answered briskly, as if it was obvious.

"Are you sure?" Charles repeated.

_"Charles!"_ Sirius scolded him.

"Yeah, yeah I won't say any more…"

They returned to the house and the kids immediately went to play Quidditch in the garden with Leslie.

"Do you play Quidditch?" Harry asked his cousin.

"Yes," she answered.

"Then you will play with us," he told her.

"No, I won't, because these are poor quality brooms."

"You're a liar! My dad never buys anything rubbish," Charles replied defensively.

"Okay, okay, they are not so bad – but anyway I would win."

"Ha, we'll see about that!" Charles crowed.

"How much do you want to bet? But no dolls and stuff, I want cash..."

Harry turned to Charles. "Psst, how much have you got?"

"Eh, me? A Sickle and you?"

"The same..."

"That's enough," said Leslie.

"And how much will you give us if we win?" the other two asked.

"Well, I have two galleons…"

"Done!"

A few hours later Richard came over with his mother and went to find the others. They were sitting in a corner, sad, while Leslie had all their money as well as some toys and 'treasures' of the three boys.

"What's going on?" Richard asked.

"Well, Leslie has won all the bets and we lost all of our money," Charles confessed bitterly.

"And some toys," added Harry.

"You have not bet my animal stamps?" asked Richard.

"Eh, we didn't know we had those," said the brothers.

"Phew," he sighed in relief.

"Hey Richard, beat her for us!"

"Yes, and retrieve our stuff!" pleaded the boys.

"I doubt he will do that," scoffed Leslie.

"Well, I challenge you!" said Richard, confident in himself.

"What do you bet?" she asked.

"A few coins, and in return I want all the toys…"

"That is so unfair…" she complained.

"Oh no?"

"No!" Leslie said adamantly.

"Well, what do you think about some magical animal stamps?"

"We can swap them rather than gamble them," Leslie proposed wisely.

Later, after exchanging some stamps and Richard beating Leslie at chess, winning back a few of the boys' things, they decided to play something else. Leslie's stay promised to be a source of endless adventures and follies for the three boys.

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Thanks for reading.


	5. Lost

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating/editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

Hello there! Here's another chapter and I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Harry and Charles considered themselves brothers and Leslie's presence in the house gave Charles an incredible fit of jealousy. Leslie spent all the time chatting happily with Richard about the stupid stamps of strange animals and Harry obviously liked her a lot. When Charles could finally find the hiding place they were secreted in, he would destroy those stamps.

Moreover, recently Charles was blamed for anything that happened and he knew quite well that it was in fact Leslie who had carried out those jokes. One day, after a month of Leslie being at their house, Charles was meditating in a corner of the hallway.

"Hello!" Leslie said.

"What do you want?" Charles asked, annoyed.

"I can't find the bathroom," she admitted.

"It's on your right."

"OK. My right? My right is the hand with which I write, over here!" Leslie said, forgetting Charles's presence for a moment.

_Merlin, she's silly! Wait – that's it! _- he thought excitedly as he observed the girl's weakness. "Hey Leslie, after you finish in there, would you come and play Quidditch with me?" he asked her.

"Sure."

Half an hour later Charles had already planned everything, but Leslie was still in the bathroom.

"Did you not find the door?" Charles teased.

"Of course I found it, I'm constipated!" Leslie answered grouchily. When she came out her face was quite red and Charles could not help laughing.

They played Quidditch for a while and when he thought the right time had come, Charles missed the Quaffle on purpose so that Leslie had to go looking for it in the dense forest bordering the backyard of the Black family house. Seeing that half hour later she had not returned, Charles assumed his mischief was accomplished.

Leslie was desperate. She never should have agreed to go after the Quaffle. She had found it, yet as she turned to return to the backyard she had failed to orientate herself, and now she was wandering lost in the woods. She had the inability to find her way from home to school, so how in the name of Merlin would she be able to navigate a forest where everything looked the same?

First she tried to return the way she had come - to no avail - then she simply walked from one place to another at random, while being certain she was going round in circles. By the time the sun sank below the horizon, Leslie had still not found a solution. She was hungry and tired. She found a few berries and made a bed in the undergrowth, for the light was rapidly decreasing and she knew quite well that in a forest there was no way to see anything when all light had been extinguished - after all, this was not the first time that she had been lost. She expected that surely someone would fetch her, and so she decided it would be better to stay where she was.

Meanwhile in the Blacks' house…

"Everyone, come down to dinner!" called Clarisse, and soon there were three happy people sitting at the table. "Where is Leslie?" she asked, noticing the empty seat.

"I don't know," said Charles calmly, which was in some ways the truth.

"She wasn't with me," said Harry defiantly.

"Well that's strange, she should be here, she's always hungry…"

"You're right," agreed Sirius. "Harry, go and fetch her, surely she had just got too involved in one of her games." Harry irritably rose from his chair and went to look for Leslie.

"I can't find her," he groaned, sitting down to dinner after some time searching.

"Have you looked thoroughly?"

"Yes, everywhere!" he exclaimed between bites.

"Perhaps she's with Richard," suggested Sirius.

"Without asking permission?" Clarisse said doubtfully. Nevertheless, out of worry she took the trouble to call at her friend's fireplace.

"Sorry to bother you, Rebecca. I just wanted to see whether Leslie is at your house?"

"No, she's not. We have just arrived back home from a trip out."

"Thanks," Clarisse said, returning to the table. "So where is she?"

"Maybe she's hiding," Charles said, smirking inwardly, "she likes to play jokes."

"That is also a possibility," Sirius accepted.

"Well, she won't have any dinner then!" Clarisse said, feeling rather upset, and they all finished eating in silence.

That night was cold and moonless. Leslie was dead cold in her improvised bed of leaves, failing to sleep when she was so hungry while Harry and the others slept comfortably in their warm rooms. Charles did not feel a shred of guilt.

A new day came. Now at the Black family house all (except Charles) were really worried when Leslie still did not appear. Still, the boys went to school as usual, while Sirius called work to say he had a problem to solve and could not come in.

Leslie walked aimlessly through the woods, looking for water. The noon arrived...

"The game is now over. I want you boys to confess now," Sirius said sternly to his two children.

"Confess what?" Harry asked, innocently unaware of what had happened to Leslie.

"We found Leslie's broom a couple of feet into the woods and I want to know if this has something to do with one of you boys."

"In the woods?" Harry said incredulously.

"What if she went alone in there?" said Charles a little uneasily, but making sure to not overdo it.

"Why would she?" pondered Harry.

"I dunno," shrugged Charles.

"She has a bad sense of direction," Harry mused, "she said she always lost her way when walking alone."

"Now you tell me!" exclaimed Clarisse crossly.

"I didn't think she wanted to leave," Harry admitted.

Near the end of the afternoon Sirius was able to find Leslie and took her back to the house. She was filthy and hungry, and she needed the toilet and a good drink of water. When her needs were satiated, Sirius asked her why she had gone and she answered with the truth: she became lost when looking for a Quaffle while she was playing Quidditch with Charles. Sirius was enraged, but it now appeared that Charles was missing.

"When I find him…" he muttered threateningly, roaming the house.

"Calm down, honey," Clarisse soothed him. "Let's talk with Charles reasonably."

Clarisse found him in the attic and took him to Sirius's office.

"Why?" asked his father.

"Why what?"

_"Charles…!"_ The tone in Sirius' voice was menacing and Charles caved in.

"Okay, I... I did it because I don't want her in my house!"

Sirius was surprised. "Why?"

"She spends all day with Harry and Richard and then they ignore me; she talks nonstop; she gets me into trouble and you let her get away with things but not me," he said, red-faced and without taking a breath.

"So you're jealous," Sirius summarised, thinking up a solution. "Harry has the right to be with his family."

"_We_ are his family."

"But so is Leslie. She will stay here for a few weeks longer and then she will go home. Until then I want you to behave yourself around her. Perhaps you two can even become good friends."

"Okay," Charles assented, albeit not at all convinced about the last part.

"And as punishment, I forbid you to use your broomstick while she remains here."

"What?!"

"What you did was wrong, darling," said his mum gently, "it was very bad, she could have become ill." Now Charles was sobbing. "Come on, don't cry, but you must learn that you should not be mean to other people."

"Okay... I..." he sniffed, "I won't do it again... I'll be good... _sniff_…."

"And you will apologise and ask her to forgive you."

"OK..." he sniffed.

Leslie willingly accepted the apology, but she also didn't like not being able to play with Charles at Quidditch. Her stay at the Blacks' home was a week longer and then she had to return to Australia. For Charles it was a relief to finally be able to use his broomstick again. As Sirius had hoped, he had managed to overcome his jealousy and he and Leslie had become fast friends, so Charles looked forward to her returning soon.

* * *

Thanks for reading.


	6. Transition

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating/editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

This one is a little short, but I hope you enjoy the story!

* * *

The years passed. While they felt incredibly long for Harry and the others at their young age, between classes, outings, holidays, jokes, the arrivals and departures of Leslie, and Harry's visits to his parents in St Mungo's, the time passed quickly.

On the day that Charles turned eleven, classes at primary school had already finished and so their imminent departure to Hogwarts was a tangible reality on the horizon. Richard would soon be eleven as well, like Harry. Charles' birthday party was big. Sirius was super-swollen with pride – his little one was growing up and soon to be studying magic at his much-loved old school.

Days later, Harry visited St. Mungo's. Since he remembered, or rather, from the aged of seven, he used to go alone to the hospital. He walked straight to the room where his parents were. As always, they listened to him.

"Hello!" he said. "It seems like the nurses are not combing your hair very well, Lily," Harry commented, pulling out a brush from a small table.

"Charles's birthday was last week and Sirius looked so happy, I wonder how you would be on my eleventh birthday... or when I receive my letter from Hogwarts…" The young boy had tears in his bright green eyes.

"Oh, what am I saying?! You would be happy, of course, right? But sadly while I'm going be at Hogwarts I will not be able to come and see you. So I have decided that I will study to be a mediwizard, so that I can try to find a cure for you both... Is that OK?" He asked anxiously, looking at them for approval; both Lily and James were watching him silently.

Harry sighed. "Moving on… Leslie will come to stay in late June, it's almost a year since I last saw her, too bad she's going to school in Australia and not at Hogwarts. It's a real shame…"

This was the kind of conversation Harry used to have each time with his parents. It was true that they did not understand or were not aware of what he was saying, but it was good for him and, for that reason, he didn't like to visit with his other parents.

Soon Leslie arrived and, with her, the fun. Harry felt happier. Richard's birthday was not as fancy as Charles', but it was still enjoyable. It was held on the beach, where they spent a whole week. July flew by fast, more due to the boys' impatient desire to enter Hogwarts, than by activities they got up to.

On July 31st Harry awoke and, by the smell of gunpowder wafting in, he knew that Leslie was already awake too. He just hoped that she was not going to give him an explosive or something of the sort as his birthday present. He found his pair of black socks that had been lost under his bed for a week, and went to the deserted kitchen. Nobody seemed to be awake yet so he prepared a sandwich because he was hungry, and then went to watch TV.

Suddenly the rest of the household burst in through the patio door, laden with gifts and shouting "Happy Birthday Harry!" And to magnify their happiness, an owl came swooping in and left them three thick letters from Hogwarts. Nothing could be better.

But for Neville, the Boy-Who-Lived, things were not so good. He had lived with his stern grandmother and his great-uncles since the death of his parents. His birthdays used to be very boring, not to mention the awful gifts, and his only hope of escape was to go to Hogwarts. Although he had been told that he had 'destroyed' one of the greatest dark wizards, he did not feel very magical at all. Even though he had yearned to go to the school of magic for such a long time, he still was very scared of it. What if everyone discovered who he really was?

The day after receiving their acceptance letters to Hogwarts, the Black household all went to Diagon Alley to buy the boys' books and everything else. Even Leslie bought hers, but ultimately she would not go to Hogwarts.

"I wanted to be with you, but either way, I was not born in this country," she said, a little forlornly.

"Don't worry, Leslie," Charles comforted her.

"Yes, don't worry, we will always be the four... The four what?" Harry wondered.

"How about 'the four Marauders' - ? Although I don't know why, it is familiar to me," said Richard.

"I like the sound of that," said the girl.

"Yeah, me too," agreed Harry and Charles simultaneously.

"Well then, you can promise me that you will turn everything upside down at Hogwarts on my behalf, Marauders!" said the naughty girl with a grin.

"We promise!" sang the three imps.

Neville was also buying his things for school that day with his grandmother. To top it, that annoying Malfoy boy appeared in the robe shop talking nonsense; luckily he didn't recognise poor Neville, but still, his grandmother bought him a _toad_, out of all the animals – everything was going wrong for him, as it so often did.

The rest of the summer passed like the previous ones. Then came the much anticipated September the First. Rebecca and Clarisse were almost crying while Sirius and Remus puffed up with pride. The boys all congregated in a compartment in the middle of the glorious red Hogwarts Express; however Neville sat quietly with a red-haired boy called Ron at the end of the train... And so their journey to Hogwarts began.

* * *

Thanks for reading


	7. The selection

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating/editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

Hello! Here is the next chapter of the story, enjoy!

* * *

And the journey began...

Since he could remember, Neville Longbottom knew he was the "Boy-Who-Lived", but the only magic he had done all his life was something he even didn't remembered. Indeed, even his family thought he was a squib, and he only showed that he was a wizard when he was launched unwittingly by his uncle from a window and bounced all the way down the street.

Fame hadn't made him arrogant. How could he be, with a grandmother, aunts and uncles as he had? He was actually very modest and believed that what had saved his life on that fateful night years ago was a fluke and solely due to the sacrificial death of his parents. His only young relative, an uncle, had disappeared in those terrible days and was accounted for dead, so all his family were in much older generations than he.

When his acceptance Hogwarts letter had arrived on July 31st, he was almost as surprised as his relatives. Now he was actually there on his way, in the last compartment of the train next to a friendly redheaded boy, who seemed to idolize him. _If he only knew the truth_, he thought sadly.

Meanwhile Harry, Charles and Richard were in a compartment near the front.

"Incredible!" Charles said for the thousandth time.

"Right," Richard admitted, a bit fed up by now.

"We're going to Hogwarts!" Harry said happily.

The three were talking about what they would do once they were at the amazing school when -

"Excuse me," interrupted a girl, "but have you seen a toad?"

"No," said Richard.

"Does my face make me look like a pet collector?" Charles snapped, visibly annoyed by the interruption.

"Ignore him," Harry said, poking his brother. "No, we haven't seen a toad, but if I see one I'll shout for you."

"Thank you," she said as she left.

_"If I see one I'll shout for you!"_ Charles imitated Harry with a cheesy voice.

_"Does my face make me look like a rubbish bin?"_ retorted Harry savagely, with a grimace and stupid voice in imitation of Charles. Richard just sat back and enjoyed the follies of his friends.

Moments later...

"Hey guys!" Charles exclaimed excitedly.

"What is it?" Harry asked, biting into a chocolate frog after the food trolley passed by.

"I heard from a good source that Longbottom is in the last compartment."

"Seriously?!" chorused the other two.

"Yes, but the corridor down that end is crowded," said Charles grimly.

"Don't worry, we will see him in Hogwarts every day for one school year," Richard comforted him.

"As smart as his father," mocked the others while Richard beat them back.

Harry had received a white owl, Hedwig, on his birthday and he was feeding her, but the others did not have any new pets - Charles did not want any, finding Leslie enough of a handful, and Richard already had too many. But the lost frog was Neville's. Hermione had been looking for a place to sit when she got into Neville and Ron's disastrous compartment. Neville was devastated because he had already lost his toad and Ron was hopelessly trying to use a fake spell to turn his rat yellow. It was a pathetic duo, but she decided to help Neville to find his toad. And if losing the toad was not enough, Draco Malfoy burst into the compartment so that he could mock Neville and his new friend.

They finally arrived at Hogsmeade station. They had put their new school robes. A huge man welcomed them with "firs' years o'er here!" The boys followed Hagrid nervously and for the first time in their life they saw the magnificent Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry was lucky enough to be seated in the same boat as Neville, the girl seeking his toad, and a freckled redhead boy, leaving the other two somewhat jealous. Fortuitously Hagrid found Neville's toad and, while waiting for the Professor McGonagall to take them to the Sorting, Harry received a severe rebuke from Charles for leaving them.

They entered the Great Hall and walked in single file behind McGonagall, admiring the tables, the ceiling, Albus Dumbledore in _person_, it was all so magical and so overwhelming. Then the Sorting Hat sang its song and McGonagall started calling out the names...

"Abbott, Hannah" "HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Black, Charles" - The Hat debated a little... um... um... many possibilities - "GRYFFINDOR!"

"Granger, Hermione" - And after a while "GRYFFINDOR!"

"Longbottom" - All went silent as a graveyard - "Neville" The hat thought about it for a long time, and finally decided on - "GRYFFINDOR!"

"Lupin, Richard" The hat laughed, "You're easy to place... GRYFFINDOR!"

The Sorting continued and Harry began to panic. Malfoy, Draco (who was shockingly ugly) was obviously placed in Slytherin.

"Potter, Harry," the Great Hall kept its usual whispering. The hat decided quickly and without thinking twice it called out "GRYFFINDOR!"

The rest of the first year selection followed its usual course.

"Great!" was Charles' greeting when Harry joined him at the table, "we're all together. I'm starving."

"Is eating all you think about?" Harry grumbled, while looking down the table to where Neville was talking with his new friends.

"I thought I was going to be put in Ravenclaw," Richard admitted cheerfully.

"Why would you?"

"My mother was a Ravenclaw, like yours, Charles."

"Ah, yes... that... I actually thought I would go in Slytherin."

_"What?"_ exclaimed the other two in surprise.

"Don't be idiots, remember that the rest of my family was all in Slytherin."

"But Sirius was in Gryffindor!" Harry protested.

"Yes, but just in case... shhh, Dumbledore is standing up!"

As expected, the Headmaster's speech left them hanging and Harry almost laughed.

"Hello!" said a redheaded boy. "My name's Fred."

"And my name's George," said an identical boy.

"Hello, we are Charles, Richard and Harry," replied Charles, pointing each of them out.

"You have a smart kid's face," said Fred solemnly.

"And you look like you know what to do," said George, shaking his head sadly.

"I do hope you lot are not nerds…" Fred continued.

"Like our idiot brother Percy…" Harry and Charles both laughed, for they always managed to get detention each week at Muggle primary school and to them these mischievous third-year boys were like idols.

After some final words from Dumbledore, which passed straight over their heads, they all climbed up through the castle to Gryffindor Tower and upon reaching their soft warm beds, they fell asleep immediately.

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Thanks for reading :)

And happy holidays!


	8. The first classes

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating/editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

Happy holidays to you! Hope you're enjoying the parties and eating much :P (this is not time for diet!) Ejem, here is the next chapter, hopefully the chapters are going to be getting larger :)

Enjoy!

* * *

"Why are they staring at me so much?" Neville asked out loud as he walked through the corridors looking for his next class. Since he had left the Gryffindor Common Room, many of the students were trying to snatch a glimpse of him, even rushing out of their classrooms to stare at him.

"Because you're famous," said Ron, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I don't like being looked at as an object of display," mumbled an embarrassed Neville.

"Really? I thought you would be used to it," said Ron in surprise.

"No – I live with my grandmother in a secluded place and we don't go out much."

"Oh, right. Hey, I think it's down this way–" Ron said, pointing the way to the classroom.

**xXxXx **

In another part of the castle, someone else was wandering around lost too.

"Sirius never warned us that you could get lost in the castle so easily!" Harry complained, anxiously checking his watch.

"True," agreed Richard grimly.

"But we're only being late on our first day, and we're not doing it on purpose," Charles said defensively.

"So true!" the other two agreed, rather desperately, and continued their search.

"Look, I think this is a short-cut…!"

Unfortunately though, this soon proved to be the door to the forbidden corridor. Filch was about to give them detention – or worse – when thankfully Quirrell appeared and saved the day.

They arrived just in time to their Transfiguration lesson, and for their jubilance the three boys were separated and warned that any degree of mischief would be severely reprimanded. "And that's when we have done nothing yet" complained Charles in low voice, to Harry who was sitting in the row in front of him.

But the boys' luck run out at Potions lesson on Friday. They had lessons with the Slytherins and their teacher, Professor Snape, was horrible.

As he was running through the list, his tone soft but dangerous, he met _Charles Black_ and his face contorted into an ugly sneer – "Hopefully he will turn out to be like his mother, and not his father…" he said, looking at Charles piercingly. Charles just arched a cocky eyebrow in response and Snape continued with the list.

"Hmm…" he deliberated, drawing out each name painfully slowly, "Neville _Longbottom_; our new celebrity…" The Slytherins and Charles laughed loudly. Harry elbowed him and Charles quickly quieted, not wanting to show any kind of camaraderie with the enemy House.

"Richard Lupin… I do hope I shall not have to expel you in the first month…" Snape said maliciously as he worked down the list.

"Harry _James_ Potter," spat, hatred filling his face and breathing heavily before continuing on. There was something in his black eyes that Harry did not like at all; Snape seemed evil and hateful and he was convinced that at the banquet he had been watching him intently – it was most strange and discomforting.

When Snape finished roll call and made a speech that only Hermione seemed to understand, he began shooting out ridiculously difficult questions.

"Longbottom!" Snape barked suddenly. "What would you get if you mixed powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Neville did not answer, he was absolutely petrified and clueless; but next to him Hermione's hand leapt into the air.

"Well, well, clearly fame isn't everything, is it?" Snape swept past, his robes billowing behind him.

"Black! Tell me, where should I look for a bezoar?"

This time, both Richard and Hermione had their hands raised. Charles did not even know what thing he was talking about, let alone where to find one.

"As I thought, you have not even opened your book…" Snape murmured, his eyes flashing vindictively. "Potter! What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"I don't know, sir, but Hermione knows, why don't you ask _her_?"

Charles, Richard and other Gryffindors burst out laughing. Snape, however did not laugh. After rebuking them and giving them the answers, he docked a point of Gryffindor House because of 'Harry's cheek'. Harry was about to protest when Richard nudged him and shook his head warningly. After that, the class proceeded normally, if a little tensely, until Neville made a complete fiasco with his potion and Severus took a point for his 'severe lack of organization'.

"What a horrible class!" Harry groaned as they climbed up the steps to go to dinner. "We lost two points in our first week!"

"Don't worry Harry, I've heard that he doesn't like any students," Richard comforted him.

Neville, having finally recovered from his accident in potions, went to visit Hagrid (who was a family friend), and while there discovered that on his birthday there had been an attempted robbery at Gringotts' Wizard Bank. For some reason, perhaps because Hagrid had said that it was meant to be the safest place to keep something, it worried him.

Time passed in a whirl of lessons and the boys wrote home every other to tell their wonderful news to their parents. Sirius almost sent a howler to Snape after being tipped off by the kids that he was their Potions teacher and got absolutely livid, but Clarisse stopped him just in time.

Not long after, it was the day of their first eagerly-anticipated flying lesson. That morning Neville had received a Remembrall and Harry a package from Leslie that, when he opened it, exploded, covering his face in soot and making everyone howl with laughter.

"This class is going to be the easiest of all, isn't it, Harry?" Charles said, handing him a napkin as they walked across the Hogwarts grounds.

"Sure, who doesn't know how to ride a broom, aside from Muggleborns?" he answered, trying to make himself presentable.

"I don't!" Neville squeaked nervously and the trio stared at him. "I – I was not allowed to fly a broom at home because I'm always having accidents," he admitted sadly.

"Don't worry, Neville, it's nothing important," Richard reassured him. "I'm not a very good flyer myself..."

The class was going smoothly until the famous Neville Longbottom flew up, totally out of control, before the whistle had even been blown, and promptly dropped like a sack of potatoes, injuring his wrist. The class was left alone while Madam Hooch whisked the sniffling boy up to the hospital wing.

Left behind on the ground was the Remembrall, and to make matters worse, Malfoy snatched it up.

"Honestly, who says that lump is famous? He's an imbecile. I don't believe he could have possibly defeated the Dark Lord."

"Just because he doesn't know how to fly, it doesn't mean he didn't defeat You-Know-Who!" Harry leapt to Neville's defence.

"Oh, yeah?" Malfoy taunted

"_Yes!_ And give that back, Malfoy."

"If you want it, you'll have to catch it." Draco sneered and lobbed it as hard as he could into the sky. Harry whooshed past on his broom and just managed to catch the Remembrall, but as he touched the ground –

"POTTER!" roared Professor McGonagall.

"Now you've done it," Charles muttered to a pale Harry.

"Follow me, Potter!" Harry nearly fainted from fear. If Sirius found him back on the doorstep of the Black family house, having been expelled in their first few weeks, he would be very disappointed with him. As he hurried mutely after McGonagall into the castle, she led him up to a full classroom and spoke to Quirell.

"I need to have a word with Wood." Moments later a big, muscular boy came out, looking curiously at Harry. "Wood, I think I have found you a new Seeker!" she said proudly.

**xXxXx**

"So you're on the team?" Charles gasped, struggling to believe what Harry was telling him.

"Yes! I'll play Quidditch and it will be amazing!"

"_I_ want to play too," Charles whined moodily.

"Don't be a spoil-sport," Richard scolded Charles. "Harry, I think that's great." He complimented Harry, ignoring Charles' sulking.

"So you think that's a reward for breaking the rules?" tutted a girl's voice from behind them.

"Go away, Granger," said all three boys at the same time, and she left with her nose in the air.

As the boys left the Great Hall some time later they were ambushed by Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. "So you're still here, Potter?"

"Yes, can't you see me?" Harry teased him, backed up by Charles and Richard.

"I challenge you to a duel," Malfoy said threateningly.

Harry shrugged. "Anytime, Malfoy."

"Crabbe is my second, who's yours?"

"Charles," Harry said immediately. Charles puffed himself up proudly.

"Good, see you in the trophy room then, at midnight," Malfoy said, turning to leave.

"And Harry will kick your ass…!" Charles hissed towards Malfoy's retreating back.

**xXxXx**

"It's time!" Harry said to Charles.

"Great, let's go!" They hurried down the boys' staircase.

But as they reached the Common Room, a girl leapt up from the sofa. "Just where do you two think you're going?" she said bossily. Of course, it was Hermione.

"That has nothing to do with you," replied Charles bluntly.

"You're going to duel Malfoy, aren't you, and you're going make Gryffindor lose house points!" she hissed angrily. Totally ignoring her, they climbed out of the Portrait Hole, Hermione still following them, hissing like an angry goose.

"Guys-?" squeaked a voice.

"Neville? Is that you?"

"Yes! I was stuck outside," he said, looking red-faced.

"Oh no, now I am too!" Hermione whined, glaring at the two boys who were already hurrying off to the Trophy Room. And so Hermione and Neville decided to follow them.

While those four crept off to the Trophy Room, Ron and Richard stayed behind, because Ron hadn't heard about it and Richard didn't want to get into trouble. Sure enough, it was trouble they met there: not Malfoy, but Filch. The boys ran for their lives and ended up in the forbidden corridor.

"I think we lost him," panted Harry as they shut the door. "Neville, what's wrong-?" Neville was tugging on his sleeve and whimpering.

"Look-!" The boys turned around to find themselves face-to-face with a gigantic three-headed dog.

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH!" And, choosing life over Filch, the four pelted out of there as quickly as possible. When they safely arrived back in the Common Room...

"You-!" Hermione began to lecture them.

"You're the one who decided to follow us," said Charles. "We didn't force you. So don't complain."

"That dog is mental!" Neville wailed, still in a panic.

"Why would they keep a dog like that in a school?" Harry wondered aloud.

Hermione sighed dramatically. "Honestly, didn't you _see_ what it was standing on?"

"Didn't you see it had three heads? I was a bit preoccupied by those!" Charles snapped.

"Ugh, you are unbearable..."

"Goose!" Charles retorted, imitating hissy animal sounds.

"It was _standing_ on a _trapdoor_!" Hermione said, ignoring Charles' immature comment. "We could have died, or worse, been _expelled_. And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sleep!"

The boys followed her lead and collapsed to bed, all except Neville falling straight to sleep. But Neville had plenty to think about, after all, he was beginning to wonder whether whatever it was that the dog was guarding had something to do with the attempted theft at Gringotts.

* * *

Thanks for reading and please leave your comment.


	9. Halloween

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating/editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

Hi! This is the last chapter... for 2012! Hope you had a great year :)

* * *

Malfoy looked absolutely furious when he saw Harry and Charles sitting calmly in the dining room the next morning. And he even showed signs of unease when the Gryffindors surreptitiously made faces at him to show that they would make him pay dearly for leading them into a trap. Yet they had escaped punishment by a whisker and thought that their midnight adventure had been great fun, and they were ready to eagerly follow the orders of their idols – the Weasley twins – in more exploits. But no one except Neville was interested in what the three-headed dog was guarding.

Neville had relayed his adventure to Ron, who had complained about not being taken along. Neville also confessed what he had read about the attack on Gringotts, and the two of them began to speculate about what was inside the tiny package. Hermione didn't speak with any of the two groups of boys – not with the former because they constantly insisted on calling her a know-it-all bossy goose, and not with the others because Ron disliked her and he has pleasure in breaking the rules – Hermione's nightmare.

In the following days Harry and Charles were plotting how best to take revenge on Draco, but Richard was against many options on the basis of them being too dangerous. However a week after the incident the opportune moment arose. When the owls were bringing mail, all of the students' eyes were fixed on a long, thin package that several owls were carrying and dropped in front of Harry. Luckily he opened the note before the parcel. Charles and Richard were reading over his shoulder –

_DO NOT OPEN THE PACKAGE AT THE TABLE! Professor McGonagall informed us that you've made it onto the Quidditch team and so I have bought you a new broom, a Nimbus 2000, but she doesn't want everyone to see it because they will all want one too. She also said that your first practice will be at 7 tonight. Sirius._

"Wow a Nimbus 2000!" Charles breathed. Ron was near enough to eavesdrop and his mouth hung open in awe. The trio quickly left the room to look at it in private and on the way out of the Great Hall they ran into Malfoy's gang, who snatched the package of them.

"A broom, huh?" drawled Malfoy, his eyes glinting maliciously.

"Actually, it's a Nimbus 2000," Harry corrected him proudly.

"Well, this time they will have you expelled, first years aren't allowed brooms!" Both groups tensed up, ready to fight, when Professor Flitwick came and held them at baby.

"Potter has a broom, sir!" Draco leapt in quickly.

"Oh yes," chortled Professor Flitwick, "I have been informed of the special circumstances, and I hope make good use of it, Potter." The trio left Malfoy with a confused and angry face, and then played deaf to Hermione, who kept nagging them about their 'poor attitude' and when she didn't stop they tripped her up so she would leave them alone.

"Merlin, Potter does have all the luck," Ron muttered to Neville.

"If you know how to ride a broom he does," Neville agreed.

"Oh come on!"

"I know I'm terrible, so don't worry Ron, I know how far I will go."

"Don't be so pessimistic, Neville."

"I'm not pessimistic, I'm just being honest and realistic; sometimes I wonder how everything really happened..."

Neville had never been shown to be a good wizard, at least not at home, and even his family thought he was not responsible for the apparent death of Lord Voldemort. But he was outdoing expectations in almost everything except Potions, for in that class Snape scared him too much to concentrate.

Between all his interesting classes and all he had to struggle in his homework, time flew by and Halloween arrived. The wonderful aroma of pumpkin pie woke the boys in the Gryffindor dormitory. After they were livened up by a morning joke from Charles they all went down to breakfast. They had been told that in Charms class today they would finally learn how to make objects fly – a much coveted concept. To make a change, Charles partnered Richard and Harry, intent on eluding Neville, grabbed Seamus. Ron was left with no choice but to work with Hermione. Richard was an excellent student himself but of course know-it-all Hermione accomplished the spell first. Subsequently, on leaving the class, Ron was in a foul mood.

"She's a nightmare, no wonder nobody likes her, now I understand why the other boys call her _goose_," he raged. A second later Hermione pushed past, making Neville trip over.

"I think she heard you…" he said worriedly, pulling himself up by grabbing onto Ron's shoulder.

"Well, she should have realised by now that she has no friends," Ron said unsympathetically.

They did not see Hermione all afternoon. But it was soon forgotten; the banquet was a _blast_. As usual Charles was eating like a pig while others laughed at his vulgarity. Everything was great until Quirrell burst in wailing about a troll in the dungeons.

There was an uproar. Dumbledore bellowed to them all, ordering them to return to their dormitories. The boys were about to obediently file out after Percy when Charles came up with a much better idea: to go and see the troll in person!

They slipped away while Percy was trying to tug them through a group of Hufflepuffs going in another direction. Ron and Neville also escaped, albeit not to see the troll, but to look for Hermione in the girls' toilets to make sure she would steer clear of the troll. Then Harry, Charles and Richard noticed Snape suspiciously sneaking through the shadows away from all of the other teachers and students, and they quickly agreed to change their plan – it would be even _more_ fun to discover what he was getting up to than to see the troll!

Bad idea. They followed him to the forbidden corridor and watched him go in the door. Harry and Charles knew what lurked inside but Richard, being rather more daring than usual in his curiosity, dashed forwards peeped through the open door.

Suddenly there was the terrible noise of torn flesh and Richard leaped back in alarm. They didn't bother to wait to see if Snape safely emerged before they bolted, putting as much distance and as many doors as possible between them and the savage dog. They reached the safety of the Common Room a few minutes before Hermione, who looked as if she had just escaped trouble herself, and then Ron and Neville appeared, Neville still with troll snot hanging off his wand. For all of the Gryffindors, this was definitely the most eventful and thrilling Halloween they had ever had in their entire lives.

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Thanks for reading.


	10. Quidditch and stone

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating/editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

Hello! Happy New Year! First chapter of 2013. I hope everybody is enjoying this fic and please leave your review at the end :)

**There was a mistake in the name of the last chapter. Originally chapter 9 name is 'Halloween'. Sorry for the confusion it may cause**

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Hermione was great to have as a friend. She didn't go so far as to let them copy her work, but she did help them a lot. And most of all, she helped Neville in Potions and Transfiguration, the classes in which he had the most problems.

It was the day before the first Quidditch match of the year and the three of them – Neville, Ron and Hermione – were huddled around a fire she had conjured at break time, when they saw Snape limping. He noticed them watching him and as Neville had a panicked, guilty look he made it his business to see what they were up to. Snape found nothing so in bitterness he confiscated Neville's library book on magical plants and took five points from Gryffindor. All three watched him leave with hatred in their eyes.

Neville wanted his book back so badly he did not even bother to pay attention to Hermione while she was explaining a class to him.

"I'll go and get it back," he said with a sudden rush of courage.

"I wouldn't," they warned him, but he didn't care.

Thus he discovered that Snape's limping was caused by a wound from the three-headed dog on Halloween. Luckily Neville didn't faint and made it back to the Common Room without being yelled at by Snape. He immediately relayed the news to his friends: whatever was in the filthy package, Snape wanted it – badly.

**xXxXx**

"You're nervous" Richard said yet again, with his head deep in a book.

"I'm not!" Harry said, nibbling a chocolate frog nervously.

"Why do you eat like that then?"

"Charles does."

"But Charles is an animal with two legs," Richard explained innocently, narrowly avoiding a book that had been chucked at his head by the accused.

"I'm not an animal! Now let me concentrate."

"Are you studying?" Both boys asked, surprised.

"I'm trying," he answered, and they still stared. "So what?!"

"It's just that you haven't done it since we left primary school..." Richard kept saying, in shock. "Do you want any help?" Another book was launched at him with force in response. "Well Harry," Richard continued, rubbing his bruise, "why are you still nervous when you're so good at flying?"

"I've never played Quidditch in public before," he answered, blushing.

"The poor boy has come over all shy!" joked Charles.

"Shut up! The reason why I didn't play football like you in primary school is mostly due to the fact that… I don't like being looked at…" His friends burst out laughing.

The match went smoothly except that in the stands Neville attempted suicide. While everything in the field was perfectly normal – Gryffindor beating Slytherin – in the stands it was very much otherwise. Neville was excitedly watching the game with his friends when quite suddenly he began to feel particularly bad. Nobody noticed at first because at that moment the Slytherin team captain nearly knocked Harry off his broom, but when Neville tried to jump from the stands everyone turned their eyes to him. How the poor guy was still alive was a miracle, for his body was moving involuntarily with the aim of falling to the ground.

But Hermione came to his aid: setting fire to Snape, because he was sinisterly not breaking eye-contact with Neville, and that way she managed to break his curse and uplift the curse. In moments, Gryffindor won.

While the house was celebrating its Quidditch victory, Neville and his friends were drinking strong tea with Hagrid. It was there where he revealed his theory of Snape and the package to Hagrid, finding out that the horrendous three-headed beast was called Fluffy and that a certain Nicolas Flamel had something to do with it all.

From then on, classes with Snape were simply torture for all in Gryffindor, but especially for Harry and his friends. He forced them all to sit apart, next to the bullying Slytherins, and at the slightest infraction heaps of points were taken from them, and they were sent off to detentions that were hours long. But the boys were already learning to live with such ordeals and behave. Snape and McGonagall seemed to be the only teachers who could hold them off mischief at school.

"I'll be happy once I'm home, eating delicious homemade food and not being told off," sighed Charles after a difficult class.

"Yeah, me too," Harry agreed, already tasting the food, he was dreaming so hard.

"I want to see my dad," Richard lamented.

"_I want to go with my dad,_" sneered Malfoy behind him, but he was not fast enough to dodge the vengeful punch that Harry delivered to his snooty face.

"You know Malfoy, if there is someone I hate more than Snape, it is you – you deserve that and far more besides!"

"Oh yeah?" mumbled Malfoy, through a mouthful of blood.

"Yes," Harry said firmly, "and if you keep bothering us, you will regret it."

"Try it, you bastard."

Only the appearance of Snape himself stopped the punches and spells of the six incensed boys.

"Enough! Potter, Lupin and Black to my office! You know the way by now…" he said with a vindictive grin, "and off you go, the three of you," he said, favouring the boys in his own House most dreadfully.

Once they were in the office, shaking with fury, Snape turned slowly to face them, his black eyes glittering.

"Since today is your last day here before the holidays, you deserve a severe punishment."

"Professor-?" Lupin's quivering hand rose into the air, tempting fate.

"_What?_" Snape growled irritably.

"Malfoy started it, he made fun of me and the guys just defended me…"

"Everything repeats again!" he muttered acidly and then the leer on his face made them know that it would not be pleasant afternoon, however much they protested at his injustice. "You lot are identical to your parents..."

"But Professor – "

"_Silence!_ I want you all here at five o'clock sharp. I'd like to see you do something that will make you remember your arrogant, mulish behaviour will not be tolerated here while I live."

**xXxXx**

"You scrub well, Potter," Malfoy mocked Harry from a distance in the boys' toilets.

"When I get my hands on you, Malfoy..." Harry muttered angrily.

**xXxXx**

Neville spent that Christmas at Hogwarts with Ron, while Harry and his friends returned to their homes. Christmas morning Neville received among all his gifts a book from Harry, Charles and Richard entitled _'SPELLS – silly but useful'_. As he had nothing else to do, he began to leaf through it and discovered a spell that would make him become pretty much invisible.

That night, after spending an amazing day amid Hogwarts' extravagant celebrations, he conjured the spell and headed to the restricted section of the Library in search of information on Nicholas Flamel. Luckily the spell lasted long enough to conceal him while he was hiding in a classroom as he tried to escape Filch and Snape. There he accidentally found the Mirror of Erised and for the first time in his memory he saw his parents.

Harry also saw his own parents at St. Mungo's, like every year. His only wish was that one day they would speak to him.

Neville rapidly became obsessed with the Mirror. He took Ron to see his parents but Ron just looked at himself excelling over his brothers, and the pair were almost caught by Mrs. Norris. And still, in spite of Ron's advice, returned again. He was there gazing at the Mirror when someone's voice surprised him from behind. He almost fainted when he saw Dumbledore himself there, but he was relieved to see that the Headmaster was smiling. Dumbledore knew that Neville had been there last night with Ron, and he kindly explained how the Mirror worked and gave him a warning not to go looking for it – and that if he ran into it again, he should be prepared.

**xXxXx **

Christmas passed and classes resumed. Quidditch training was becoming tougher for Harry. One day after a grueling practice, he had barely reached the Common Room when Neville hobbled in with his legs stuck together. Malfoy had accosted him outside the Library and poor Neville's self-esteem was very low on the ground. Harry had always appreciated the Boy-Who-Lived, though it seemed he had few talents.

"Here," he said, passing Neville a chocolate frog, "you shouldn't let that scum upset you."

"Thanks, Harry…" Neville mumbled sheepishly.

"You're welcome. And if he bothers you again, just let us know, he owes us a few."

"Okay. Here, do you want the card?"

"No, I have that one already, thanks," Harry replied. But Neville looked at the card more carefully and suddenly noticed the name of Nicholas Flamel. Now they knew was what Snape wanted to steal: the Philosopher's Stone!

It seemed that Snape was aware that they knew what they weren't suppose to know, because in the second game of Quidditch (which Neville went to by persuasion of his friends) Snape had the evil intention of sitting near them, perhaps to resume his attack on Neville. Luckily the game was brief and normal, besides that a bludger hitting Snape in the head, to their delight. Then in the stands Neville clashed with Crabbe and Goyle, and Ron fought with Draco. Subsequently Neville spent the next two days in bed in the Hospital Wing.

Before he went to celebrate Gryffindor's Quidditch victory with the others, Harry was walking over to the broomshed to leave his Nimbus 2000 there, when he saw Snape entering the Forbidden Forest. Curiosity got the better of him and he decided to follow Snape.

Thus Harry saw and heard the strange conversation between Snape and Quirrell. It was strange, uncomfortably so. When he finally returned to the Common Room, where there was a big party, he ran into Ron and Hermione and told them all that he had heard. After all, they also knew about the three-headed dog and were close friends of Neville, and by the significant looks on their faces they also knew something else that he did not.

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Thanks for reading.


	11. Norbert, the dragon

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating/editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

Hello! Here I have a new chapter for you, enjoy!

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Harry was walking at night through the corridors of Hogwarts. He felt unusually sad, without any particular reason. They had won the Quidditch game but he felt very empty. He would definitely have been happier if Sirius had come to watch him play, or better yet, his father. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't see Filch, who had been searching for him for two weeks now, convinced that he had blown up a toilet with his friends, and so any excuse to catch him was excellent. To make matters worse for Harry, Filch not only caught him wandering around after curfew, but once again by the door to the forbidden corridor on the third floor.

He sent Harry off to the Headmaster's office with a triumphant smile.

"Harry Potter…" Harry sat, scared, on a chair in front of the Headmaster's desk when Dumbledore greeted him. "Do you know why you're here?"

"Because I was walking at night after curfew," he said shyly.

"No. Because you blew up a toilet – "

"Oh," Harry muttered, reddening.

" – on every floor of the castle," Dumbledore continued.

"I didn't do it alone! And the one on the top floor was all Fred and George's doing!" Harry retorted quickly.

"So…" Dumbledore said calmly, "your punishment..." They were interrupted by a soft knock on the door and Dumbledore went to see who was calling. It gave Harry time to gaze round at the whole office, and after a while he caught sight of something poking out of the door of a cupboard. Without even thinking, he took it his hand. It was an invisibility cloak.

The Headmaster had finished talking to the caller so Harry quickly sat on the invisibility cloak and decided to pretend that nothing had happened.

Dumbledore surveyed him silently for a moment, his blue eyes piercing into Harry. "I'm very disappointed in you, Harry," he said softly.

"I – I don't understand, sir."

"You should appreciate what we have and not go about doing these things in school."

"Yes, sir."

"And I would be very happy to give you that magnificent cloak, if only you would ask for it politely." Harry's cheeks burned the colour of a tomato.

"Wh- How did you know, sir?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, and with a twist of unease in his stomach Harry felt sure that Dumbledore could tell much of what he was thinking. But Dumbledore just smiled. "That cloak belonged to your father."

"My _father_?" Harry looked eagerly at the cloak in his hands and then at the Headmaster. "Would you really give it to me, sir?"

"Of course, it belongs in your family, but you must promise that you and your friends will no longer do any mischief for the remainder of the year."

"Sure, I promise!" Harry obliged immediately. "So, sir, will you let me have it?" he asked, still incredulous that he could own something so amazing.

"Certainly, Harry, and Mr. Filch will decide on your detention."

But the punishment didn't matter at all to Harry. He possessed something that had belonged to his father and was now _his_ alone. He ran out of the office in delight.

Behind him, Albus sighed. "What have I done?" he muttered, and then gave a chuckle of amusement.

**xXxXx**

"Wow!" exclaimed Richard and Charles upon seeing the invisibility cloak.

"Yes, and it belonged to my father, you know?" Harry was beside himself with happiness and eager to show off his treasure to his friends.

"That could work wonders…" Charles's face expressed a brightness that Harry was wary of.

"We _can't_."

"What do you mean?" Charles complained.

"Well, I promised Dumbledore that if he gave it to me, we would not do anything bad for the rest of the year."

"But – but that's an eternity!" Charles whined.

"Well, it's worth it."

"We do have a bad enough reputation already," said Richard evenly.

"Do we? You're never in detention," Charles scowled.

"Well, I think up the jokes anyway. Let's keep to Harry's promise, and when we get home our parents will forget our previous mischief-making and we won't get punished over the summer," Richard said, the last thought only now occurring to him.

"That would be great," Harry seconded.

"Well, okay then…" Charles had no choice but to accept.

There were only ten weeks left until the exams and Neville was happy to have Hermione as a friend. Ron could not say the same. She had harried them to study and Neville did, leaving Ron alone and so he finished studying too.

It was on one of those days in the Library when they saw Hagrid and wondered what on earth he was looking up in a book. When they went to his hut, they found that he possessed a dragon egg and was intently incubating it. That left them incredibly worried, both because it was an illegal activity and because he lived in a wooden house. But things didn't stop there. Apparently Malfoy heard them talking and was so nosy that he spied on the birth of Norbert, the dragon, and now walked past them with a Machiavellian smile on his face every time he saw them.

Soon they were spending most of their spare time helping Hagrid to feed the growing dragon. And then Neville came up with the bright idea to send it to Charlie, one of the older brothers of Ron, who worked with dragons. He sent an owl and Charlie responded immediately, in full acceptance of the plan. Now the problem was how to move to Norberto tallest tower without being seen…

They decided to use the spell that would make them invisible, but they would have to move very quickly because its effect weakened too quickly. And so it happened. It was a miracle that Hermione and Neville managed to take Norbert up there without being caught (Ron was in the Hospital Wing) because Neville was constantly getting lost and falling on the false steps. Then they went down with their hearts happy and free, not noticing that they were no longer invisible – but Filch did. He took them to McGonagall's office and imminently she arrived, pulling along Harry by the ear. It seemed he had gone to find Neville to warn him that Malfoy was going to set a trap and by coincidence the teacher found him, for he had forgotten in the heat of the moment that he had the Invisibility Cloak.

Now they had lost 150 points from Gryffindor and surely, thought Harry, Dumbledore wouldn't give him any more chances. For the first time since coming to Hogwarts, Harry was disappointed in Neville.

Neville was hated by nearly everyone, people set traps for him and called him rude names, Hermione ignored, and Harry was shunned by the rest of the Quidditch team. Charles complained at why he had to follow the rules when Harry clearly didn't, and Richard said nothing, which made Harry feel even worse. All this rubbish happened for trying to _help_.

One better morning, Neville was on his way to study in the Library with the others, but he got lost and ended up hearing Professor Quirrell arguing with someone. He didn't dare to see with whom, but he was pretty sure it was with Snape. If Quirrell was the only one refusing to reveal what protection he had put in place to guard the Stone, Snape would surely soon steal it – but none of them could do anything about it.

They received the notes detailing their detentions that morning. They would be going into the Forbidden Forest. At least along the way Harry would be able to enjoy seeing the look of fear in Draco's face, for he had also been punished on the same night as the others, for prowling about, no doubt to spy on Neville. And so everything got a lot better. Harry and his friends had dreamed alongside the Weasley twins to enter the Forbidden Forest, but to be left alone at night there with a petrified Draco, was absolutely priceless.

Harry was left in there with Draco and Fang. He just couldn't contain himself. He slipped and took Draco by surprise, making him jump out of his skin and shoot up sparks in alarm, besides punching Harry. When Hagrid found the two of them, they were in the middle of a fight, so the groups were reassigned.

Neville was now next to Draco and trembled like a leaf in the wind. Suddenly they saw the dead unicorn in a clearing and a hooded figure drinking its blood. Malfoy ran away with the dog, screaming in terror, while Neville's legs just wouldn't respond. He was practically in shock as the figure approached him menacingly and dripping with blood. His scar was burning like fire.

But a centaur saved Neville and took him on his back to safety. Mounted on Firenze and with some distance put between him and the terrifying figure, he concluded that _Voldemort_ wanted the Philosopher's Stone and that Snape was going to seize it for him, not for himself. All this he told Hermione and Ron at dawn, scared as ever, but Hermione using her good judgment consoled him, reassuring him that while Dumbledore was there the Stone would be safe. And so they went to sleep.

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Thanks for reading.


	12. The Philosopher's Stone

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating/editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

Hello! This is the last chapter concerning the first book. I'm working on the next chapters but it may take a while to update, but anyway, enjoy the fic.

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Neville didn't know how he would get through the exams. He was sure that he had failed Potions, with Snape breathing down his neck and the scar on his forehead burning. In fact it had not stopped hurting since the forest incident, and if that wasn't enough, he had terrible nightmares too. Harry had told him that he thought it was just down to nerves because of the exams, but Neville was sure that everything had to do with the Stone guarded by Fluffy.

The exams flew by. It was a beautiful sunny day outside Hogwarts. Neville and his friends were lying on the grass in front of the lake while Fred, George and Harry's group bothered the giant squid at the lake's shore. Neville felt uneasy.

"I feel like there's something I still need to do," he finally said.

"That's because left your exam paper half blank, Neville," Hermione replied knowingly.

"Oh, it's not that, I think it's something else." He watched Harry's beautiful snowy owl flying towards him with a letter. Hagrid would send him letters...

Running along this train of thought, he suddenly got up and ran towards Hagrid's hut with his friends trailing behind. They found that Hagrid, while being drunk, had revealed to a hooded man how he managed Fluffy, the same man from whom he won Norbert's egg. Immediately they ran off to find Dumbledore, but then they realized that none of them knew where his office was, so when they came across Professor McGonagall they told her, but she informed them that Dumbledore was away and ordered them to go outside crossly.

However they were reluctant to obey and were then confronted by Snape, who also advised them to go outside. "Another night hanging around and I'll personally make sure that you are all _expelled_."

When they tried to see if Fluffy was still there, Professor McGonagall found them again and rebuked them for not listening to her. So they knew that night Snape would try to steal the Stone. They decided to do all they could to stop him.

Later, they were on their way out of the Common Room to head to the Forbidden Corridor.

"Even though he terrifies me, we have to stop him," Neville was whispering bravely to Hermione and Ron, when Harry appeared from behind a chair.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"That's none of your business, Potter," Hermione said aloofly, trying to get out.

"Don't you think that we have lost too many points already?"

"Could it be your fault?" Ron answered hurtfully. "We have important things to do."

Harry took his wand out. "I can't let you walk out there and lose more points," he said angrily.

But Hermione was faster. "Petrificus Totalus!" Harry fell hard on the floor, paralyzed.

"You killed him!" Neville yelled in fright.

"Of course I didn't, Neville! He's only petrified," Hermione laughed. "Come on, let's go."

Hermione bewitched the three with the invisibility spell they had learnt from Neville's book and kept re-casting it so that they reached Fluffy undetected, easily evading Mrs Norris, and scraping past Peeves, who almost spotted them as the spell was losing its effect. When they reached Fluffy they saw that the trapdoor was already open, but Fluffy was very much awake. Neville took out a crude flute that Hagrid had given him for Christmas, and although he played so badly that the tune did not sound like music at all; the big dog fell to sleep.

Ron went down the trapdoor first, followed by Neville and then Hermione. They discovered that they fell into a Devil's snare, but Hermione saved their lives by burning it.

They walked into the next room, which appeared to be full of birds. They doubled up and hurried to the next door in case they plummeted, but nothing happened. Then Ron saw that they were not birds but keys, and in a corner were three brooms.

"I… can't… fly…" Neville said helplessly, realizing what needed to be done.

"Okay, the two of us will bring the right key to you," said Ron, although Hermione was as bad as Neville on a broom. So while the two of them were trying to catch it, unsuccessfully, Neville deliberated whether or not to mount the other broom. Finally he did, but as soon as he kicked off the ground he began to spin out of control and hit the wall, quite by chance crushing the key they were looking for. Astonished, they took the old key and opened the door to pass on.

The next test was a huge chessboard. Without Ron, it would have been impossible to succeed at it and it was a shame they had to left him lying wounded on the ground, but they had to proceed onwards. The troll in the next room was unconscious and thus they soon came to the room with the flames.

When Hermione said logic was needed to get out of the room, Neville started running madly around, screaming that they were trapped for eternity there, until Hermione stopped him and made him see reason. When she had worked out which was the correct bottle, Neville asked that she would be the one to go on, since she was much cleverer than him, but she wanted to return to help Ron. So Neville had no choice but to go onwards to confront...

"Quirrell?" he asked, surprised to see his reflection in the Mirror of Erised.

"Longbottom! What a surprise to see you here, whole and in one piece! How did you manage this all alone?"

After talking for a bit and keeping Neville trapped in front of the Mirror, Quirrell tried to use it to steal the Stone which Neville, without having the slightest idea how, had managed to get into his pocket. When he found he could burn Quirrell with his bare hands, Neville did not hesitate to plaster his hands all over the traitor to stop him. Yet his scar was burning like hell...

When he woke again he saw the incredibly familiar partitions of the Hospital Wing. He had a talk with Dumbledore, having too many questions about everything Voldemort's face on Quirrell's body had said, like: Why did Voldemort want to kill him? How did he get the Stone? Was Voldemort dead? What was going to happen now? After Dumbledore left, his friends visited him and he found a big heap of sweets and chocolates, given to him by admirers.

On the day of the end-of-year feast, Dumbledore gave extra points to Neville, Ron, Hermione and Harry, just enough to win Gryffindor the House Cup! They were elated, especially Neville, who had not won anything commendable before.

Their trip home on the Hogwarts Express followed quickly afterwards.

"Tell me you'll come to my house," Ron told Neville one last time as they left Platform 9 ¾.

"I'll ask my grandmother," Neville assured him. Beside him, Richard was hugging his mother while Harry and Charles ran to greet a joyful man with long black hair and grey eyes. "This will be a good summer," he sighed happily.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	13. Summer

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating/editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel, from whom I'm very grateful for help me. I'm just making this for fun.

Hello! With you the new chapter of The Boy Who Lived. Enjoy!

* * *

Harry arrived to the Blacks' house very excited and gave a big hug to Clarisse; but something was wrong. It was clear in the face of his second mother.

"What's wrong?" he asked as she finished hugging Charles.

"It so happens that you will be going to Australia tomorrow…"

"Great!" Harry said. "What's wrong with that?"

"Charles won't be going with you."

"What?!" exclaimed both boys at the same time.

"We wanted to spend some time with both of you on a holiday before you go back to school, but Leslie had already bought Harry a ticket with her own money, so we could not say no," explained Sirius.

"Then you will go on holiday together and I will go to see Leslie?" There was discomfort in Harry's voice.

"It isn't that we don't _want_ to go with you..." Clarisse said as Harry turned away from her, disillusioned, and trudged up to his room.

Harry did not enjoy much of that night's dinner. The next day, still silent and grumpy, he only said one word – 'goodbye' – to Sirius and Clarisse before boarding the plane. He didn't know why he was travelling Muggle style when he could have used the international floo network.

After the longest and most tedious journey of his life, Harry found himself in Australia, where despite being winter it was quite hot. Leslie was so happy to see him that he felt bad for not wanting to be there. She gave him a big hug and he felt a bit better.

Harry had never been in a completely Muggle house – the only magic there was Leslie and her belongings. From that day on everything was fun and he cheered up. Leslie obviously didn't mind getting lost all the time because she went out frequently. Jack, her maternal cousin who was the same age as her and also smart, got into all kinds of Muggle mischief and she followed him in every step, with there being little to do in the summer.

Harry learned skateboarding (because Leslie not only played Quidditch) and a bit of surfing. His only regret was that Charles wasn't with him, regret that lasted until he reasoned that Leslie and Charles weren't exactly the best friends. At least his vacations were going exceptionally well. As a surprise birthday treat from Leslie, Harry and her went to an extreme sports center, and he also received letters from his friends (Charles was super bored and Richard was getting by with his father) and Clarisse and Sirius. Life was smiling down on him.

**xXxXx**

Yet for Neville Longbottom the summer did not pass so well. His grandmother, since learning what had happened at school, had not ceased to praise him after years of saying him wasn't like his valiant father. But of course, Neville was quite and the strange turn around of her attitude towards him was a bit too much to cope with.

At the end of July, it was Neville's twelfth birthday and he was very sad. He had never had friends and the ones he had thought he'd made in school, Hermione and Ron, had not sent him even one letter so far that summer. Also, unlucky as he was, his grandmother informed him that that day a couple of important wizards from France would be visiting them and she didn't want anything bad to happen. Therefore she asked him to stay very still, doing something very dull but safe, due to his magnetism of all kinds of disasters.

Neville assumed it would be better that way, but his plans to spend the day in the garden watering plants were boycotted by a house-elf named Dobby. The little creature insisted that he should not go back to school, but that was something Neville wouldn't do and even if he did comply, his grandmother would be very angry with him for abandoning his magical education when things were just starting to look brighter. Everything got worse when Neville learned that his friends had written him letters but Dobby had intercepted them in an attempt to make Neville disinterested about returning to Hogwarts.

Upset and indignant with Dobby, Neville tried to catch him to wrangle back his letters, but as he darted about Dobby kept insisting that he would only give them back if Neville promised to not return to Hogwarts. Red-faced and irritated, Neville refused. Then Dobby went into the kitchen and began to levitate into the air a beautiful dessert that his grandmother had prepared for the important visit.

"Please-!" pleaded Neville.

"Only if you promise not to go…" said Dobby solemnly, fixing him with big baleful eyes.

"I _can't_, nor do I want to!"

"So, it must be done…" The cake drifted out of the kitchen and with a click of Dobby's fingers it fell right over the heads of the visitors.

Neville was severely reprimanded and put in shame.

But hope came. He was saved from spending the rest of his holiday confined to one room by Ron's parents, who came to fetch him so that he could stay at their house with Ron. Neville's grandmother accepted the proposal and Neville was whisked off to the Weasley's house to spend the rest of the summer there. Everything went really well until the day he went to buy school supplies because they had to travel with floo powder and Neville, who hated travelling so very much, was obliged to join in and ended up misplaced in Knockturn alley, of all places – he almost _died_ of fear. Hagrid saved him just before he fainted in fright and led him to some of the Weasleys in Gringotts with the Grangers. Reunited, they went to buy books.

They came to the bookshop where there was a huge queue and amongst all the people bustling and shoving about they came across Richard and Charles.

"But where is the third crazy boy?" asked the twins, looking around Richard and Charles for Harry.

"He's in Australia."

"Wow, that's a great holiday!" exclaimed Fred.

"He's with a cousin of his and he doesn't want to return," said Charles with a tinge of bitterness in his voice.

"Ah…" said the twins knowingly, but before they could say more on the matter, Lockhart, who had spied Neville, grabbed him by his collar and dragged him off to have a photograph taken with him for the Daily Prophet.

The Malfoys soon appeared and, to the delight of the mischievous twins and their followers, Mr Weasley and Lucius Malfoy got into a fight. After the excitement everybody went home.

Harry returned to England five days before September the first and he sported the appearance of a healthy suntanned guy who has been working outside in the baking heat. Not only that, but he also brought back with him the strangest ideas of mischief, so much so that Sirius thought James had been reincarnated in his son.

The day to return to Hogwarts dawned and the Weasleys, as always, arrived late at the train station in disarray. Ginny was starting at Hogwarts this year and in all the rush Ron and Neville were left behind as the last ones to cross the barrier – or at least try to do so. They were refused entry and so the Hogwarts Express departed without them, much to their alarm.

In panic, Ron leapt to conclusions and decided that they should use his father's flying car to get to school. So there they were, flying behind the train. They ended up landing rather disastrously on the Whomping Willow, a tree that was intent on battering them to death. Covered in bruises and with Ron's wand having been broken, they had just escaped from the dented car, only to be caught by Snape.

Immediately Neville passed out for a few minutes (the stress was just too much for his constitution), and upon his return to consciousness Snape heartlessly marched them straight to his office. They escaped expulsion by a fluke, which wiped the vindictive smile off Snape's face, but in spite of his relief Neville still felt like dragon dung, especially for having disappointed Dumbledore.

They shared a meagre dinner in the cool silence of Snape's eerie office and then hurried up to Gryffindor Tower, only to find that they didn't know the password yet. Hermione rushed to their aid and opened the door to the Common Room where a massive party was awaiting them. The twins and their entourage – Jordan, Potter, Black and Lupin – were highly impressed with their spectacular arrival at Hogwarts; but inside Neville and Ron felt incredibly guilty and preferred to go straight to bed.

Thus began Neville's hectic second year at Hogwarts.

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Thanks for reading.


	14. First classes again

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating/editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

Enjoy the chapter!

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The first day started with a Howler each for Ron and Neville. Both of them wanted to disappear in humiliation after the unbearably loud reproaches they received, informing the entire school of the shame they had brought upon their families. Then followed Herbology. The mandrakes were deemed to be awful, according to Harry at least, since one bit his finger. The first lesson of Transfiguration turned out to be a fiasco for almost all the second year students who seemed to have forgotten everything from the year before – everyone except Hermione, who was once again called a goose, and Richard. Ron's spellotaped wand was embarrassingly hopeless. At lunch Neville was accosted by a first year student with a blinding camera and then kidnapped for a second time by that fool Lockhart.

And just to top off the day, there followed a Defense Against the Dark Arts class. The quiz that the inept Lockhart set them left them baffled, and (the boys) irritated. After Lockhart idiotically let some Cornish Pixies free in the classroom, they all realized what he was: a complete and utter moron. Neville ended up dangling from a lamp on the ceiling and, as the bell rang, their irresponsible teacher (who no one now believed to be capable of teaching anything) assigned Ron, Hermione, Neville (who had fallen off the roof and was ready to go to Madam Pomfrey), Harry and Richard, the laborious task of collecting the pixies and putting them back in their cages (Charles had escaped long ago).

To poor Neville it seemed like this year everything was against him. Lockhart thought he was addicted to fame (he could not be any more wrong) and Colin Creevey trailing around with his camera definitely did not help the matter. Finally Saturday arrived and, having nothing better to do, he accepted Hagrid's invitation to go to his cabin.

**xXxXx**

That same Saturday, Gryffindor's Quidditch practice was about to begin when the Slytherin team appeared on the pitch, upsetting Harry. Charles and Richard, who had come to watch, did not hesitate to rush onto the field, sensing trouble. They put together a hard argument that ended in a draw. Gryffindor would practice despite the maddening fact that the Slytherins were there.

The persistence of the Gryffindor team made Marcus Flint think twice. He called for his team to practice later that afternoon. Malfoy was very upset at being defeated by the Gryffindors, particularly when Harry, Charles and Richard were watching. When he reached the Entrance Hall and saw Hermione with Ron and Neville, he was in such a foul, embittered mood that he called her a Mudblood. This incensed Ron so much that he tried to curse Draco, but in the heat of the moment he had forgotten that his wand was malfunctioning – his spell backfired so he ended up being the unfortunate one vomiting slugs. Seeing this, Malfoy's mood improved and left them.

Neville, Ron and Hermione spent the rest of the morning talking about the event with Hagrid, Ron spitting out slugs, looking at Hagrid's giant pumpkins in the garden, and making fun of the 'photos' Neville had apparently signed, making him very angry, much to their amusement. When they returned to the castle McGonagall assigned them their detentions: that night Ron was to clean the silver with Filch and Neville was to help Lockhart answer his stupid fan-mail, which made Neville's expression fall like a wilted plant. The afternoon flew by, as it always did when he dreaded something happening. He spent what felt like an eternity answering the horrendous Lockhart's correspondence. Between one letter and another, Neville heard a voice that raised the hairs on his neck –

"Come... come to me... Let me tear... Let me break your bones... Let me kill you..."

"AAARRRGGGHHHHHHH!" Neville shouted, knocking over the stack of envelopes and scattering them all over the floor.

"Amazing, isn't it? Six months on top of the list of the best sellers! Beat all records!"

"Didn't you hear it?"

"Hear what, young Neville?"

"That – that voice – " said Neville, traumatized.

"I think you've fallen asleep and had a nightmare after I told you these wonderful stories of mine. And look what time it is! It's been nearly four hours! How time flies when one's having fun, isn't that right Neville?" he chuckled. Neville ignored him.

He could barely even walk as he climbed back to Gryffindor Tower. Ron arrived half an hour later but Neville stayed up waiting for him. Ron quietly told him about his laborious detention, so as to not wake Dean and Seamus (the others were not there), and then Neville confessed what he heard to Ron.

"And Lockhart didn't hear anything?" Neville saw Ron's brow furrowed. "I don't understand..."

"Neither do I."

October came with cold wet weather and a flu epidemic. It rained for days and days but Oliver Wood didn't give up, _ever_. Rain or wind, Harry had to attend Quidditch practices and that Saturday was no exception. Later, muddy and with wet feet, he was trudging back along a deserted corridor when he came across Nearly Headless Nick looking worried and muttering to himself.

"Apparently you have not done well today either," Harry said to him grimly.

"No… is just a small matter," said Nick, who proceeded to tell him that he hadn't been accepted into the club of the Headless Hunters because he had only the thinnest piece of skin and sinew holding his head onto his shoulders. "… So, what's troubling you, Harry?"

"I need a Nimbus 2001 for the game against Sly-" But a meow interrupted the conversation. Nick hurriedly warned Harry that Filch was not in a good mood but he had no time to flee. Filch caught him and took him to his office.

Incredibly, until then, Harry had never been in Filch's office, although Charles had and he mentally agreed with him that it was a horrible place. Filch was about to put him in detention when something fell loudly on the floor above, saving him from punishment. While waiting for the caretaker to return and wondering if it would be better to escape, Harry saw a magenta envelope on the desk and he couldn't resist the temptation. He opened the letter and read. Filch was a squib! That was knowledge worth spreading. Unfortunately at that moment he heard noises and dropped the envelope on the desk, quite clearly not in its original site.

"Did you read my mail?" Filch wondered aloud, torn between distressed and angry. "Well actually... it's for a friend... it's not mine... I wouldn't need that..."

"No, I didn't!" Harry said quickly, trying to look innocent.

"Well... better go... I have to report Peeves... but not a word... but of course, you didn't read it..."

"No, I didn't!" And so Harry escaped from the caretaker without detention.

Later, he found Nick and the ghost told him that he had made the diversion and as an expression of his gratitude Harry agreed to go to his Deathday party on Halloween.

**xXxXx**

"We have all been invited to a Deathday party," Harry told his friends later that evening.

"Wicked!" exclaimed Richard.

"I don't think it'll be that fun…" Charles said, without taking his eyes off his Potions essay.

"Are you sick?" Harry asked.

"No, I'm doing homework." Harry would have told them that Filch was a squib but Fred and George made a salamander eat a firework and the three rushed over to see the show.

Soon Halloween came and Harry regretted his promise to go to Nick's ghostly party. He was very hungry and wanted to go to the real party – the glorious Halloween feast. Richard reassured him that if they were quick they would be able to get back in time for dessert. The dungeon was cold and spooky and, although they couldn't eat any food because it was all rotten, they did have some fun.

**xXxXx**

"I'm so full!" gasped Neville, clutching his stomach.

"You shouldn't eat so much," tutted Hermione.

"I think I'll have to go to Madam Pomfrey…"

"I think you like to go to the Hospital Wing!" Ron laughed, but despite their mockery both friends accompanied Neville there.

**xXxXx**

"I'm really hungry. Let's go and eat some dessert, there has to be something still!" Charles proposed to the other two and they ran from the dungeons.

**xXxXx**

"Rend... tear... kill..."

Neville squeaked when he heard cold and trembling voice echoing around the Entrance Hall.

"What's wrong?" asked Ron and Hermione anxiously, seeing the change in him.

"The – the voice! It was the voice! You didn't hear it?" said Neville. "Over here!" And he began to climb the staircase frantically. On the way he bumped into the others and they didn't want to follow him because he sounded a bit mental, gibbering that something was going to kill someone, and they were too hungry to get into trouble. Yet Neville followed the voice, more because he was mesmerized by it than because he wanted to, because he was shaking in fear. They came to a deserted and shadowy corridor and there on the wall it read:

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR BEWARE.

At that moment the party ended floors below, and they could hear the merry chatter and rumbling footsteps of people coming up to their dormitories. Mrs. Norris was hanging stiffly from a bracket on the wall. The three of them stood there, staring at her hypnotized, unable to escape from the compromising situation they were soon found in.

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Thanks for reading.


	15. The Chamber of Secrets

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating/editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

A new day full of snow thanks to Nemo. Grab a cup of cocoa and enjoy this new update.

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Malfoy was delighted with what was happening and, thanks to his big mouth, Argus Filch came to the crime scene and blamed Neville for killing his cat. Dumbledore arrived just in time and, with the rest of the staff and the kids, went to Lockhart's office to resolve the problem.

**xXxXx**

After taking a look at the crime scene, Harry, Charles and Richard went to the kitchens, since they hadn't arrived in time for dinner, and got something to eat. It was later in the common room that they discussed what had happened.

"Do you think that Neville really did it?" asked Charles.

"No," said the other two in unison. "I don't think it's his way of revenge," Harry added.

"Do you think that we will get blamed?" Charles asked, thinking of Snape and his penchant for blaming them whenever there was trouble.

"We weren't even present there!" said Richard in a reasonable tone.

"Yes, but Filch knows we would do anything, and besides we weren't in the Great Hall... _and_ I know that Filch is a squib," said Harry worriedly.

"What?! That explains a lot!" said Charles, not so worried now. "Oh! You forgot to add Harry that the headmaster is waiting just for a good reason to throw us for fools."

"That's right."

"Don't be so hard guys; we can prove that we weren't the guilty ones, for a change..."

**xXxXx**

After Dumbledore arrived at the conclusion that Filch's cat was not dead, but in fact had just been petrified, Filch was still accusing the boys and Snape decided to speak up.

"Maybe they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. And I do not believe it was Mr Longbottom; after all, he cannot even perform the simplest of spells without ending up in the Hospital Wing – he could never be capable of something as advanced as this." Neville went very red. He had always been terrified of Snape and the comment was not so very far from the truth. "I think," continued Snape in his silky voice, "we have got the wrong boys here. _Potter and company_ were not present at the feast, highly suspicious in my opinion, and this could very well be their handiwork."

Dumbledore denied the possibility and the boys were set free to go. After talking for a while in an empty classroom about the mysterious voice, they decided to go to sleep.

**xXxXx**

"Hey! Is something wrong?" Harry asked Ginny Weasley, who looked pale and as if she had been crying.

"Nothing," she said, clearly trying not to break into tears.

"Here, take this," Harry said as he handed her a handkerchief. "Don't worry about the cat... Mrs. Norris. As your brothers said, she will surely be fine." He smiled at her warmly. She began to smile back.

"You can keep it," Harry said when she tried to return the handkerchief, and he left.

**xXxXx**

For many days after, the event with Mrs. Norris was all that was talked about in the corridors and common rooms. Hermione had become, if possible, more addicted to books than ever, as she searched for the legend of the Chamber of Secrets. She was so bent on learning about it that she dared to ask the old ghost Professor Binns. Those History of Magic classes were often very boring, but when Hermione raised her hand and interrupted his monologue, everyone, including Harry and Charles who had been sound asleep, woke up and listened with fascination to his account of the Chamber of Secrets. While the teacher repeatedly that it was only a myth, all of the students thought otherwise. A rumour that Neville was the heir of Slytherin had also begun to spread.

Neville and his friends went to the girls' toilet at the crime scene and spoke with Moaning Myrtle, but they achieved nothing more than getting five points taken by Percy. At night in the common room, they agreed to get the Moste Potente Potions book, to Neville's dismay, and to make the Polyjuice Potion to use so that they could talk to Malfoy, whom they believed was the real heir of Slytherin. The idea did not appeal to Neville, not just because they would be breaking several rules or because if something went wrong his grandmother would kill him, but because they would have to face Lockhart in order to obtain permission for the book.

Since the class with the Cornish pixies, their useless teacher had not tried to bring any further living creatures to their lessons, and instead he used Neville as the monsters he had supposedly defeated in his whimsical books. After being forced to play a werewolf in one dreadful class where Lockhart was yet again re-enacting one of his tales, it was finally over for mortified Neville. Once everyone had gone, Neville, Ron and Hermione went to talk with Lockhart and Hermione asked for permission to take the book out from the forbidden section of the Library. The moron signed it without even looking at what she wanted.

In the Library, after the suspicious Librarian had snatched the permission form from Hermione's hand, they got hold of the book that they would need. They took refuge in the disused girls' toilet where Moaning Myrtle lived. After calming down Neville, who was horrified by some of the illustrations within the book ("Good thing this is a bathroom," Ron commented as Neville vomited into the nearest toilet), they found the page where the instructions for the Polyjuice Potion were listed. It required many ingredients that they did not have and would obviously have to steal from somewhere, although stealing from _Snape_ of all people did not seem the most failsafe idea. They finally agreed on a plan and then left the bathroom.

**xXxXx**

Harry woke up happy that morning. It was the first Quidditch match of the year, of course. But his enthusiasm dissipated when he remembered that the Slytherin would mount their brooms faster than his team. What if Gryffindor lost? No, he was not going to let his team lose.

When the game started they were eclipsed by the speed of the Slytherin team's new brooms. A terrible storm had begun and something very strange was happening to a Bludger. It was intent on attacking the stands where the Gryffindors sat, and in particular where Neville. This one-minded behaviour by a Bludger was simply unheard of.

One of the Weasley twins was flying near the stands while Slytherin took the advantage to laugh at them. It was at this time that Harry, watching as the odious Malfoy laughed at a blow dealt to Neville by the Bludger while he was trying to escape from the stands, saw the Snitch and bolted after it. What he didn't notice was that he was in the path of the second Bludger and it cracked into his arm. Nevertheless, he still managed to catch the Snitch – they had _won_.

Charles and Richard ran onto the Quidditch pitch and so unfortunately did Lockhart. Harry was lying on the grass. His arm was hurt a lot. He wanted to be taken to the Hospital Wing but Lockhart insisted that he tried to fix the fracture himself. What he did actually ended up making Harry lose all of the bones in his arm. While Charles of course found this absolutely hilarious, Harry didn't find it remotely amusing. In the Hospital Wing he had to take a Skele-Gro potion and lie beside poor Neville who was still unconscious from the Bludger attack.

Neville regained consciousness shortly after the Quidditch team left Harry alone for some rest, since he was complaining of incredible pain caused by the potion that was re-growing his bones. As Neville was quite well, Madam Pomfrey let him go.

Neville ended up wandering outside the Gryffindor common room, having forgotten the password again. Then he heard something further down the hall. Trembling with fear, he went to see if it was another student. In fact it was Dobby the house elf! Dobby and he had an argument; it was because of that house elf that he was almost expelled earlier that year and that the Bludger had been charmed to hit him. But Dobby disappeared at the sound of distant voices. It was Charles and Richard.

"Talking to yourself, Neville?" asked Richard.

"No, he's talking to his servant the Mudblood-killer," Charles said sarcastically. But seeing that this affected him greatly he added hastily, "I'm just kidding..."

"It's – it's that I forgot the password…" Neville stuttered anxiously.

"Oh, don't worry," and they cheerily seized him by the arms and dragged him inside.

**xXxXx**

Harry woke up startled. Someone had entered the Hospital Wing. Dumbledore was carrying something accompanied by Professor McGonagall. But Harry soon realized, it was not _something_ – it was _Collin, petrified_. And Harry was the first to hear the truth for the mouth of the Headmaster himself. The Chamber of Secrets was real and it had been opened once more.

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Thanks to all of you for reading this fic.


	16. The Polyjuice potion

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating/editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

New chapter. Enjoy!

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"I saw him! I saw Colin Creevey and he's like Filch's cat," Harry told his friends as soon as he got out of Hospital Wing. "The Chamber of Secrets really does exist!"

Not far from them were Hermione, Ron and a terrified Neville. He had told them about Dobby and, as Harry did not keep his voice down, they also learned about the Chamber of Secrets.

"I think it's time to start making the potion," said Hermione worriedly.

The news of what had happened to Colin spread throughout the whole school that morning (no doubt because Potter had shouted so loudly) and everyone was very alarmed. Ginny Weasley seemed to suffer more from her brother's relentless jokes than the fact itself. Charles opened an illegal business to sell protective amulets and other stuff, and Neville had already bought several when his friends told him that he could not be attacked anyway because he was a Pureblood.

The second week of December arrived and the Polyjuice potion was halfway done. Hermione now needed the missing ingredients that they had planned to steal from Snape's cupboard, but Neville was definitely not what was needed for the job, although he was highly apt at creating a huge mess. She was pondering this on her way to the next class when a boisterous group passed by.

"Goose," Charles said when he passed by her side.

"Quack," Harry told her.

"Hello Hermione," said Richard, the last in the group.

"Those three are _mental_," she murmured angrily. "Wait!" She just had thought of the best of ideas.

"What do you want?" Charles asked impatiently.

"Can you make a scene in Snape's class?" Ron and Neville would be expelled if Snape discovered them doing something, but those three… they seemed to thrive on creating trouble.

"Have you lost your mind?" exclaimed Harry "He will expel us at the tiniest thing we do!"

"I'll pay..." The boys arched their eyebrows. "Err… I'll do your homework for you?"

"No thanks! We are able to do it on our own," said Charles.

"Dung bombs? Sweets?"

"What makes you think we want to help you and be expelled? I remembered you didn't mind leaving me body-locked at the end of the last year," said Harry with a hint of bitterness.

Richard saw he needed to intervene before Harry and Charles attacked Hermione.

"Hmm, how about doing something important for us when we need it? Something like a debt," Richard proposed.

Hermione bit her lip. If they created the havoc, Snape wouldn't suspect of her or Ron.

"Deal, but it doesn't include me doing embarrassing things in front of an audience."

"It's settled then." Richard agreed for the three of them. Only the thought of Hermione being in their debt tranquilized them.

Finally, the long-expected Potions class arrived. Harry threw a firework into a cauldron, making a big mess and much confusion. With Snape preoccupied by all the mayhem, Hermione took the chance and stole the ingredients they needed from his store cupboard, but she felt as guilty as if she had sold her soul to the devil. The guys on the other side knew what was coming. Snape was furious and knew they had instigated the chaos, but the reason behind it eluded him, as they had done nothing right under his nose. The punishment came surely and hard.

A week passed. Neville and his friends were walking across the Common Room when they saw a crowd surrounding the announcement board and his classmates eagerly called them over. There was to be a dueling club that night.

Eager to prepare themselves, they decided to attend. Neville was nervous because his spells wouldn't come at all and Ron was just as apprehensive because his wand was still broken and he would surely make a fool of himself – but still they went. Harry and his friends were expectant. But all of their hopes vanished when they each saw idiotic Lockhart appear on stage with none other than _Snape_, who seemed to be there just to have the delicious opportunity to kick the moron's ass.

The demonstration went predictably wrong for Lockhart and then he tried to amend it, so he put them in pairs for dueling. Neville was to go with Malfoy, Harry with Justin. Charles with Richard, Ron with Seamus and Hermione was paired with Bullstrode. If Snape hadn't put a stop to the duels, some of the students would had left with some very serious injuries. Neville had barely been able to cast a spell on Malfoy, but Ron had done disasters all over the place.

Lockhart then called Harry and Justin on stage. Snape refused to allow the pair to demonstrate, for he would not give that reward to Harry, and so Neville and Draco were called up instead. Neville was shaking like a leaf in the wind.

"The bravest thing Neville has faced was Crabbe and Goyle last year at the Quidditch match," whispered Charles.

"Yeah, that was definitely brave. Let's see how he does now," said Harry.

"Come on, it's the Boy-Who-Lived! He finished with _him_, Malfoy will be a breeze," said Richard and the other two just shook their heads. Sometimes his friend was very intelligent, in other cases, was quite naïve in his hopefulness.

Lockhart gave some tips to Neville, but these were very unhelpful and Neville was too petrified to understand anything regardless. Draco attacked first and threw a snake at Neville, when something incredible happened. Neville did not run or scream as usual, but remained static; and even more surprisingly he spoke Parseltongue. When Snape had taken care of the snake, Ron took apart Neville and Hermione went with them. Harry and the others were left behind with their mouths hanging open.

After Hermione and Ron made Neville understand the gravity of the situation he panicked.

"I am the heir! I am the heir!" he said, rocking back and forth fretfully.

"Don't be ridiculous," Hermione said getting angry, "you are _not_ the heir..."

"Are you sure you're not distantly related to his family?" asked Ron, only just in case.

"Ron, enough!" Hermione yelled. "Can't you see he's already fainted?" And both sighed, looking down at the Boy-Who-Lived on the floor.

Neville couldn't bear the situation. He wanted to explain to Justin that he had not done anything wrong, because when he spoke in Parseltongue the serpent had just been in front of the guy, but the Hufflepuff Ernie fled from him and proclaimed that Neville wanted to harm Justin. With Ernie's words ringing in his head Neville bumped into the petrified body of Justin and what was left of the ghost Nearly-Headless Nick in a dark hallway. It all happened too fast for him. He was unable to flee the site before Peeves had spread the news and all the students cornered him, making him break out in a cold sweat and shake, terrified of how guilty he looked. He had just come round when Professor McGonagall led him away somewhere.

"Sherbet lemon," she said and took him up some stairs. He had never been there, but the place matched Harry and Charles's description of the Headmaster's office. He was being taken to Dumbledore.

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Thanks for reading!


	17. Searching for the truth

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating/editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

New chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

The mere thought that he would be expelled made Neville feel as if he would die of fear, knowing that his grandmother was going to murder him if that really happened. Professor McGonagall left him alone momentarily, and Neville looked all around the office, realizing that the Sorting Hat was stored there. Would it talk to him if he put it on again?

He decided it was better not to try – with all the trouble he was already in, he was too afraid to risk touching it. Something made a sound behind him. He turned to see a very ugly bird and to his dismay, within moments it suddenly went up in flames. At that point Dumbledore arrived and Neville wanted nothing more than to disappear in humiliation. But Dumbledore kindly explained that Fawkes was a phoenix and that he would rise again from the ashes, and he told him of all the other magical qualities of a phoenix.

Before they could go any further, Hagrid entered the office shaking dead roosters and spreading their feathers about the room, which made Neville almost faint. He was there to insist that Neville had not assaulted Justin. Dumbledore replied that he did not believe it was Neville or any other student in that house. Before Neville departed from the office, the old Headmaster looked him straight in the eye and asked if he had anything he wanted to say. After thinking about everything that was happening, Neville decided to say no.

After the double attack, everybody scattered before Neville and this made him feel as if he really was bad, even though he wasn't. Yet some of the students saw this as a massive joke, none more than Fred and George and their apprentices Harry, Charles and Richard.

"Make way for the heir!" Richard proclaimed, walking before Neville while the twins pushed the students aside, warning them of the evil that would come upon them if they got in Neville's way. Harry and Charles polished it all off by singing loudly, "Hail Neville!"

"Enough of this nonsense!" Snape snapped at them one day. "You three, to my office _now._"

"Hail Snape! Hail Snape!" Hearing this absurdity from the trio following him, Snape almost regretted having to take them with him; so instead he decided to deal with their behaviour right there, assigning them each with a detention with double the severity of usual.

Hermione and Ron noted that the only one who did not laugh at this nonsensical behaviour was Draco, and they wished that they did not have to wait so long for the Polyjuice Potion to be ready so that they could find out what it was that he knew.

**xXxXx**

Christmas finally arrived and the only students in Gryffindor House who were staying at Hogwarts were Neville, Hermione, Ron and his brothers. It was finally time to use the Polyjuice Potion. Neville was nervous and could hardly enjoy the Christmas feast as Hermione instructed them to get hold of some hairs from Crabbe and Goyle. He almost said he wanted to bail out, but Hermione was obsessed with the plan so he refrained. There was to be no turning back. He should not be so cowardly, he reminded himself, and he waited along with Ron for the Slytherin gorillas to eat the hexed cupcakes.

The hard part was drinking the potion when it had the appearance of bubbling mud and a disgusting colour. Neville screamed like crazy while transforming, but then he realized that he had not melted and went with Ron in search of the Slytherin common room. First, they encountered Percy and that Ravenclaw girl in the dungeons. Luckily, Malfoy appeared and took them from there.

"There's nothing worse than Dumbledore," Draco said aloofly after read them the newspaper clipping which mentioned Ron's family.

"That's not true!" said Neville automatically.

"No?"

"Longbottom is worse…" Neville suggested.

"You're right!" sneered Malfoy. "Nothing is more disastrous than that Longbottom fool. He's a joke, I don't believe he defeated the Dark Lord, indeed, I think he's a squib."

"Do you know one who's even worse?" said Ron foolishly as Crabbe. "Potter!"

"Truly he is the worst of all. Since when have you said such intelligent things?" Malfoy laughed out loud. "But I hate him; one day he and his friends will pay. I'll be glad when the heir annihilates them all, if only I knew who it was I would help with much gusto."

"So you don't know who the heir of Slytherin is?" asked the false Goyle.

"I already told you, _no_. Do you have wax instead of a brain?"

Unfortunately the information they got was not much help, except for Ron, who sent a letter to his father to suggest that they search the Malfoy house again for illegal objects. When they returned to the girl's bathroom, they were surprised to find that Hermione had almost become a cat and they had to take her sobbing to the Hospital Wing.

Hermione's second most frequent visitors at the Hospital Wing, after Ron and Neville, were Charles and company, who went there just to annoy her. Her friends tried everything to keep them silenced about the fact that she had managed to grow a tail and got a restraining order for them to not enter the Hospital Wing.

"Those three will never leave us alone, right? How I would like to see Charles and Draco expelled," Ron said bitterly while returning from the Hospital Wing that day.

"Harry is a good person," said Neville defiantly.

"Bah."

"He really treats me well, and Richard too. Charles, well, I guess he _is_ hopeless," Neville pondered thoughtfully.

Then they heard Filch pass, muttering something about being annoyed. Then they saw the mess of water from Myrtle's bathroom.

"What happened there?" Neville wondered aloud.

"Let's find out," said Ron before Neville tried to back out as always.

"Hi, Myrtle!" Neville said tentatively after entering. "What's happened?"

"They think it's _funny_ to throw things at me!" she said plaintively to Neville, whom she was very fond of.

Ron laughed at her and she got mad, soaking them while fleeing down the toilet. Ron found a sopping wet diary and was about to take it when Neville, awestruck, warned him of the danger it could be to open a book without knowing what it was about.

"You could become a toad," he said, entirely convinced, "it happened to me for playing with my grandmother's books."

But the diary did nothing. Ron recognized the name of the former owner for he had had to clean a plate with the name on the day he had been vomiting slugs. Ron chucked it back on the floor and left, but Neville picked it up and kept it.

When Hermione left the Hospital Wing, Neville showed her the diary and she got as excited as Neville, but Ron was still at a loss.

"The diary is fifty years old!" said Hermione happily.

"So?"

"The Chamber was opened fifty years ago, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Wake up Ron! Maybe it says something about the event!" she squeaked and then tried to get the secrets out the diary – but to no avail.

"Come on, it's just a diary that no one bothered to fill in," said Ron, rolling his eyes.

**xXxXx **

Neville just could not get rid of the diary and he did not know why. He was glad that the attacks had stopped, although Pevees still bothered him and the Hufflepuffs did not trust him one inch. But the most annoying was Lockhart, who was convinced that _he _had ended the attacks and, to make them feel better, he decided to celebrate Valentine's Day in style.

Neville got lost taking a shortcut and ended up near the Great Hall joining Charles, Harry and Richard, who were running late and apparently were as hungry as if they had not eaten for two days.

"Aren't you going to keep attacking people?" Charles asked Neville, giving him a wink.

"Stop bothering him, I'm hungry," Richard complained.

"I'm not –" Neville tried to defend himself when Harry opened the door to the Great Hall, which was all pink with confetti falling from the sky. The four felt very confused and Neville was sure that everyone had lost out in this.

They entered the Great Hall and upon reaching the Gryffindor table found Ron with disgust on his face and Hermione wearing a silly expression. The teachers did not look as if they were in a good mood either.

"Best if we behave today," Charles whispered to Harry, who nodded.

Worst of all were the dwarves dressed as Cupid. One of them got Harry at the end of the afternoon and even when Harry ran, the dwarf charged after him and pinned him to the ground while his two friends laughed loudly at him. As Harry struggled with the dwarf, he knocked Neville's book bag, causing red ink to spill everywhere, including on the diary. But the dwarf kept him back, and to make matters worse, Malfoy appeared on the scene. Then the dwarf sang:

_"His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,_

_His hair is as dark as a blackboard,_

_I wish he was mine, he's really divine,_

_The mischievous heir of the Potter's house."_

And everyone burst into laughter while Harry fled the scene. Malfoy snatched Riddle's diary from Neville and though he wanted it back, Percy wouldn't help him. However a well-timed Expelliarmus from Richard's wand returned the diary to Neville's hands. Draco mocked Ginny for writing such a stupid song and Ron would have defended her but Neville took his wand, which was a threat to everyone. Only later, in classes, Neville realized that the diary was not drenched in red ink like all his other things. He went to tell Ron, but his wand was producing purple bubbles and he was paying no attention to Neville whatsoever.

* * *

Thanks for reading.


	18. Finding answers

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating/editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

Hello! I have already next chapter, but I'm going to start updating twice a month instead of every saturday because muggle live just got harder. Please enjoy the new chapter.

* * *

Neville went to bed early that night because he was tired of listening to Fred and George tease Harry by singing, _"Your eyes are green like a pickled toad…"_ and because he wanted to find out why the diary had not been damaged like the rest of his books. He sat on his bed, took out the diary and wrote: "My name is Neville Longbottom", just because he did not think of anything else to put in it, and then his name disappeared. He was surprised and even more so when the diary replied.

So Neville proceeded to tell Tom Riddle's diary how he found the diary and then he turned the 'conversation' with the diary towards the Chamber of Secrets. In less than the blink of an eye, Neville was transported back in time and Riddle showed him how he captured Hagrid. Then Neville was back in the present and Ron was at his bedside.

"It was Hagrid," Neville said, all shaky and sweaty, "he opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago."

Neville wished with all his might that he had not discovered how the diary worked. Now he, Ron and Hermione were discussing the possibility that Hagrid was Slytherin's heir. In the end they decided not to ask Hagrid anything unless there was another attack. But the days passed without incidence and Neville had not heard the disembodied voice again. Even Ernie from Hufflepuff began speaking to him again. Harry had disappeared for several days after the public embarrassment until Snape found him hiding in one of the dungeons. In March the mandrakes had a party. "How is that even possible?" Charles wondered aloud. "They are plants! Aren't they?"

And so came the Easter holidays and the second year students had something to think about: which optional subjects to choose. Neville received letters from all his family members with advice on what to pick, while Harry, who was never in any class without Charles, followed him and chose the 'easiest' in spite of the fact that Runes or Arithmancy would help him more in the distant future after school where he hoped to be working as a mediwizard.

"I chose Divination – it's good to know the future – and Care of Magical Creatures because you should know what is in your backyard," said Charles as if he knew a lot about it.

"It would be better if we could take all of them instead of choosing just some," complained Harry while selecting the same subjects as his best friend. "What about you Richard?" he asked.

"I'm going for Runes, Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures. Muggle Studies I have with my mother and I think that Divination is a very inaccurate subject." And as soon as he said the latter Hermione agreed with him, but she still chose it along with all of the others. Neville decided to pick the same subjects as Ron, since if he was wrong someone would be there to help him.

Gryffindor was playing against Hufflepuff in the next Quidditch game and Harry barely had time to do his homework what with the training imposed by Wood, but he was happy because they had great chances of winning the cup. He had just retired to the dormitory to rest for the next day's game. Neville followed him soon after so that he could go to sleep, as he had eaten too much food and felt as if he was falling ill, and he found Harry at the door looking desperate.

"I swear I didn't do it!" he said. "I don't know who did it, I just found it like this!" and he opened the door so that Neville could see his torn sheets, his books thrown about and all his other things scattered everywhere. Harry helped him pick up his belongings and make the bed while the other boys entered the dormitory.

"What happened?" Dean asked in amazement.

"I have no idea," said Neville, whose stomach pain was long forgotten.

"Someone was looking for something…" Ron said solemnly, noticing the turned-out pockets of his friend's robes. "What are you missing?"

After organizing everything Neville realised that he was missing the diary and muttered this to Ron. They both went down to the common room and told Hermione what had happened. It seemed that one of his Housemates had stolen the dairy.

"It must have been one of those thieves," Hermione hissed, referring to Charles and his friends.

"No, I don't think so. Harry was very friendly and helped me organize my stuff. Charles is a fool, but not a thief..."

At last it was the great game of Quidditch. Harry was wolfing down his breakfast very excitedly while Oliver shouted at him to stop eating like that or he would get sick. Even the weather was excellent for play. However Neville did not seem right, "Although he's never okay," Harry reminded himself, "It might be about the mess from the night before." And so he continued eating. Then all the students began flocking down to the Quidditch pitch and he went to get his broom.

Hermione tried to convince Neville to report the theft, but he assured her that it would not be necessary. Then, as he went down the stairs, he heard the strange voice saying "kill this time... tear... tear…" and with a cry he broke away from the wall. Hermione and Ron denied having heard any voice, and then suddenly Hermione exclaimed that she understood what was happening and rushed off to the Library. Ron raised his shoulders in an "I do not understand" way and Harry almost fell over Neville while trying to get to the game in time. Neville, and Ron in tow, accompanied Harry to the field. Madam Hooch had just taken out the balls to commence the match when Professor McGonagall arrived and announced that the game was to be suspended.

"That's not fair!" Harry and Oliver Wood complained to their teacher, but she ignored them.

"You two go to the Gryffindor Common Room," she instructed after some more complaints from the Quidditch team. "Neville, come with me."

Ron went with his friend, despite not being invited. Their teacher took them to the Hospital Wing where she showed them Hermione and another Ravenclaw girl – who were both petrified. New orders were issued to the students and Professor McGonagall emphasized that no student should go anywhere without a teacher accompanying them, all the while looking at the trio of Harry and his friends. When she left they all began whispering. Hermione was not their favorite saint, but the fact that she was attacked had hit them. Neville was rooted to the chair where he half heard what George and others were saying. Ron took him aside.

"What do we should do?"

"I think we should talk to Hagrid," Neville said, unable to stop a sob from escaping. "Maybe this time it was not him, for he would not want hurt to Hermione, but he may know how to get into the Chamber."

"But we can't go alone!" said Ron. "You heard what McGonagall said."

"I think we'll have to use the invisibility spell again," Neville said, remembering the book that contained the spell was. Unfortunately the spell had limited time and they had to hurry. They only used it after his roommates had stopped talking about the Chamber and it was pretty late because apparently Charles suffered from insomnia, since he talked and talked even after Harry had already fallen asleep. Ron was tempted to hit him hard on the head to see if he would finally shut up.

At last the two boys made it out of Gryffindor Tower, but they found that the corridors full of people. They were invisible, yes, but not silent. Ron hit his foot and they almost got discovered since it happened just where Snape was, but apparently he did not hear it because he fortuitously sneezed at the exact same time.

The night was clear and beautiful. They reached Hagrid's cabin without stumbling and he opened the door, wielding a crossbow. He seemed nervous. Hagrid was about to serve them some food when they heard footsteps. Neville again conjured the spell that had already expired and they were shoved into a corner. It turned out that the visitors were Albus Dumbledore with the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge. After their arrival there followed a conversation about Hagrid being taken away to Azkaban (Neville almost screamed out of fear) and to make matters worse, Lucius Malfoy also appeared, claiming that the board of govenors had ordered Dumbledore to resign from his post as Headmaster.

What happened next Neville did not understand very well. Dumbledore looked as if he was giving them a message: "I will only really abandon the school when there is no one left faithful to me. And Hogwarts will always help anyone who asks for it." Did he know they were there? What did he mean? Hagrid also gave them a tip: to follow the spiders and feed Fang.

Summer was soon to come, but an icy cold inhabited the castle. Neville and Ron tried to visit Hermione, but visits were prohibited. They did not mind hanging out with teachers there to keep them safe and Neville was always looking at the ground for spiders, yet they seemed to have vanished. Conversely, Charles and Harry hated being watched so closely by the teachers, especially because most of the time it was Snape who was watching them. As if they were criminals! Malfoy was being unbearable, especially because he was kissing Snape's arse, suggesting that he run for Headmaster. For _heaven's sake!_

It was fortunate that the bell rang because Malfoy had just bet that the next victim would die and he only wished it had been Hermione. They had to hold onto Ron as he attempted to launch himself on Malfoy. Herbology class had two students less and to Neville's wonder they found spiders. The spiders were heading towards the Forest, so the boys planned a search there under the invisibility spell. However, before their journey in the night they had to endure Lockhart talking rubbish. Charles threw a book at him and that was the only good thing that happened that day. For a change, no teacher gave Charles detention for what he had done…

That night, to get out of the Common Room, Ron made Charles, who was sleepwalking, 'fall asleep' using a heavy book and they left him in a corner. They had to dodge the teachers and luckily the spell lasted until they reached Hagrid's cabin. They went into the Forbidden Forest, following the trail of spiders for about half an hour, until they heard strange noises.

"What do you reckon that is?" Neville asked Ron hoarsely.

"I dunno, but I bet it's nothing good," Ron whimpered, and suddenly they saw it.

* * *

Thanks for reading.


	19. The end of the nightmare

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating/editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

Hello! As I announced in the last chapter, I'm going to be updating twice a month instead of every saturday because muggle live just got harder. Please enjoy the new chapter.

* * *

But it just proved to be Mr Weasley's old car. It had become 'wild'. Neville was complaining that they had lost the spider's track when he was captured, same as Ron, by some larger specimens. They were carried away and dropped into a ravine in front of what appeared to be the head spider. Neville, seeing that Ron was too scared to get them out of this mess, told the spider named Aragog what was going on, much more calmly than he truly felt. He got many angry responses, and to top it off they were apparently going to be eaten!

Then the car came to the rescue and saved the day, taking them to the edge of the forest. They left Fang at Hagrid's hut, returned to the Gryffindor Tower using the invisibility spell and Ron immediately went to sleep. Neville curled up looking at the sky. There were not close to finding the answer. He was already half asleep when a brilliant idea came to mind. He called to Ron and said,

"What if the girl he killed had not come out of the toilet?"

"Are you thinking of _Myrtle?_" said Ron sleepily.

The next day they completely forgot the search for the Chamber of Secrets – exams were in a week! Seamus said in class what everyone was thinking and in amazement, Neville vanished part of his desk, which promptly collapsed. Ron looked at him incredulously and then at his beeping wand.

A few days before the exams Ginny sat at the table and looked like she was going to confide something important in Ron and Neville, but before she had said a word, Percy sat down and she ran off. What had she wanted to tell them? Percy said it had nothing to do with the Chamber of Secrets, but with him.

That day they managed to escape the teachers' surveillance, convincing Lockhart to let them go alone, and they went on their way to the girl's bathroom to see Myrtle. McGonagall found them but Neville, trying to not get in trouble, said they were going to see Hermione and so they had no other choice but to go and visit her. Ron was wondering if she had seen something and Neville found a piece of parchment in her hand. After struggling to get hold of it, they found the answer to the problem! They knew was what was in the Chamber of Secrets and went straight to the staff room to tell Professor McGonagall.

But what they heard while hiding in a closet there left them speechless. The monster had kidnapped Ginny. It was a very quiet evening in Gryffindor Common Room. Harry was stunned, since he liked Ginny. Ron was sure that she was kidnapped because she knew something. They decided to go looking for Lockhart in order to help him find the Chamber of Secrets, but then they found that he was merely planning to flee from Hogwarts.

Neville managed to disarm him and Ron got rid of his wand. Then they forced him to go to the toilets where Myrtle lived. After Myrtle told them how she had died, they found the sink where the entry to the Chamber of Secrets was. After a few attempts Neville managed to open it by speaking in Parseltongue. They sent Lockhart in first and then, when they were about to get in, Myrtle called out to Neville.

"Hey Neville, if you die down there, you're welcome to share my toilet…" Ron grimaced in disgust and got in, followed by Neville who was shaking like a leaf. Why did these things always happen to him?

Finally they reached the end of the pipe, coming out into a dark tunnel. They did not need to close their eyes; it was rather quiet down there. In the light of Neville's wand they started to walk and round a corner they found something lying on the ground. Squinting at it warily, they drew nearer and realized that it was the shed skin of a huge snake. Lockhart fainted. Ron snorted and said disparagingly, "This one is _really_ pathetic," and went to rouse him, but Lockhart was just faking it and managed snatch Ron's wand. In an attempt to escape he cast _Obliviate_ at them. Yet the wand backfired on Lockhart, causing an explosion and Neville was separated from Ron by a great pile of debris. Neville decided to go on ahead on his own. Ron said he would dig open a gap in the dividing wall for when he returned.

Neville, once more alone, was facing the unknown. Finally he reached the end of the winding tunnel and managed to open the door to the Chamber. "Hopefully I'm not too late," he thought. Ginny was lying there on the floor and they were not alone, there was also… Tom Riddle? He had taken Neville's wand, and was wearing a disturbing smile; apparently, something was very wrong.

Tom told him about the diary, how he had come out there at the expense of the poor Ginny.

"It's a hassle to hear what an eleven-year-old girl writes," he said in a bored voice. "_'I thought Neville Longbottom would be more amazing, but he's just a chubby kid… Harry Potter is so cute... I don't think that Harry ever notices me... Neville is very kind to me...'_ Bla, bla, bla…"

Tom laughed and proceeded to tell how he had taken over Ginny's soul and how his memories fell into Neville's hand. "I wanted to get to know you, you know? Ginny told me all about you, of course, but now that I have you in front of me it amazes me that you could have survived. Look at you! You're shaking, you look like a potato sack, and, according to her, you need the help of your friends to manage even getting an Acceptable in your classes," he snorted cruelly.

Then Tom Riddle revealed that he was actually Voldemort. Neville defiantly said that he was not the most powerful wizard, but Dumbledore, then his phoenix came to him. Tom summoned the basilisk and luckily Fawkes gauged out its eyes. Neville was now fleeing from a blind but giant and deadly snake, crying for help. In his flight he found the Sorting Hat and, still hoping for help to arrive, he put it on his head. Something hard knocked on his skull, leaving him dazed, and it turned out to be a sword. After repeatedly dodging the beast he managed to plunge the sword into its mouth, but one of the fangs pierced his arm. The deadly poison was spreading through his blood. Fawkes landed on his shoulder and Riddle was there, smugly watching him die. But the wound had stopped hurting. Fawkes's tears had saved him!

Riddle raised Neville's wand to kill him, but the bird threw the diary at Neville's feet. Neville saw Riddle, then the diary and then the basilisk's fang near his hand. Without hesitation he seized the basilisk fang and stabbed the diary. The ink spurted out like blood and with a cry Riddle disappeared.

Ginny regained consciousness and both of them left the Chamber of Secrets, following a singing Fawkes. They found Ron and returned to the pipe where the forgetful Lockhart was waiting quietly. Then they all hung onto Fawkes' tail-feathers as he flew back up the pipe. Meanwhile Lockhart shouted, "This is unbelievable! It seems like magic!"

They finally returned to the toilet, where Myrtle watched them a somewhat disappointedly. Ron mocked Neville, whose face was red as a tomato.

They followed the phoenix to McGonagall's office and knocked on her door before Neville went in. Those present there stood staring at them in silence. They were coated in mud and Neville also had blood stains on his uniform. In the office were Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, who now embraced all three children.

Neville told them how they had discovered the Chamber of Secrets and how Fawkes and the sword had helped him to get out of that place alive. To his luck, Dumbledore helped to explain about the diary. Dumbledore sent Ginny to the hospital wing, two-hundred points were awarded to each boy, and Ron was asked to take Lockhart to the Hospital Wing. Then Dumbledore spoke privately with Neville about why he seemed to be like Voldemort in some ways and the strange connection that existed between them.

Then Lucius Malfoy appeared with Dobby at his heels. Thanks to Dobby, Neville knew that the diary had been handed over to Ginny by Lucius in Diagon Alley and he boldly told him so. Then, when Lucius left, Neville asked Dumbledore for the diary and ran after them. Neville threw the sock with the diary to Lucius, who chucked the sock carelessly at Dobby, inadvertently freeing the joyous house-elf.

The celebratory banquet that followed was the largest that Neville had ever seen – all the students were in pajamas, Hermione was awake and had left the Hospital Wing, their exams were cancelled, and Gryffindor had won the House Cup.

After that, they went to enjoy their next two months' holiday in high spirits.

* * *

And this was the Boy Who Lived and the Chamber of Secrets. Thanks for reading and please leave your comments.


	20. Birthdays

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating/editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

Hello! Well next update I can't promise to be on two weeks since Arwen, my beta, is very busy as well as I am. Not planning to abandon this, just it will take a little longer. Please enjoy the new chapter.

* * *

Harry was a normal boy of thirteen. He loved the summer because he could see his parents in the hospital, his beloved godfather, his cousin who came from Australia and he could play endlessly with his best friends. He completed the summer homework he had been assigned as soon as possible so that he could then devote himself exclusively to having fun.

One summer night he, Charles Black and Leslie Potter played who could be the last one to stay awake past midnight, to see who could congratulate Harry first for his birthday. Unfortunately Charles and Leslie found this very tricky and ended up drinking sleeping potions. They now lay on the floor snoring while Harry watched from a comfortable seat. Midnight arrived at last and Harry wished himself happy birthday. Shortly after, an owl came through the open window of the room.

It was a parcel with a card from his other friend, Richard Lupin, wishing him a happy birthday with a gift attached. He was in Japan with his mother, visiting his grandmother and his gift was paper to make origami that magically came to life as well as a guide for how to make them. Harry smiled and decided to wait until the morning for the greetings and gifts from his family, and to pay a visit to his poor parents at St. Mungo's like every year.

**xXxXx **

Neville instead was not having a very happy birthday. Yes, his grandmother was very proud of him, and he had letters of his friends, Ron and Hermione, with their gifts – a Sneakoscope from Ron, and a plant that ate rubbish and kept your room clean from Hermione, but both were outside the country. Hagrid had sent him a gift too – an angry book that almost ended up in the trash-plant, but decided at last minute to turn around and chase Neville around the room. To make matters worse, his uncle Menkar, who was already losing his mind, would be visiting them that week and Neville was not his favorite nephew now that he was abandoning sanity. But above all, Neville was somewhat annoyed with his grandmother because she had flatly refused to sign the permission form that would let him visit Hogsmeade, with no apparent reason for it.

Little did Neville know that his family was hiding something from him. He was quite unaware that a murderer had escaped from Azkaban and was believed to have done so in order to come after Neville and kill him. His grandmother had decided that it was inappropriate for her grandson know that information – she believed that if he knew he would be too scared to go back to school. Keeping the information from him was difficult; she had to make the Daily Prophet disappear every day before he reached, which was a big deal because he liked to read the newspaper, even if it was sometimes only the headers – a custom that she had instilled in him ever since he had learned to read.

It was not an easy week for him after his birthday. His uncle did not leave him alone and sometimes confused him with a certain Arneb and yelled horrible things. It was on the last day of the visit that the man made a big fuss and was so frightening, telling Neville that he was a bastard traitor who was going to rot in Azkaban forever. Fear, or something else he did not know, made Neville to inflate his uncle like a balloon. This, and the extra dose of his grandmother's shouts, further contributed to Neville's panic. Remembering that he had been previously notified by the Ministry for Magic for Dobby's actions last summer at his house, he was quite sure that they were going to expel him from Hogwarts and he really would end up rotting in Azkaban. With his head like a chaotic mess he collected his belongings and ran away from the house.

Nervous as he was, Neville walked until he did not know where he was. He paused. It was already dark and he felt as if something or someone was watching him, so he decided to light his wand, convinced that more magic would do no more harm now that his head had price on it. When he illuminated the tip of his wand he almost fainted for he saw a fleeting figure moving through the trees, and beyond something like a huge black dog. Then he was nearly run over by the Knight Bus. Who was he? Stan asked, and Neville thought that it would be inappropriate to reveal his real name so he said the first name that came to his mind.

"My name is Harry Potter," he lied guiltily and boarded the bus, hoping to find a safe refuge as well as to not cause Harry too many problems for using his name wrongly. He decided to go to London and while he was on board he was sick several times from the extreme swerving and accelerating of the bus. Between dizziness and lightheadedness, he just managed to read a headline on Stan's newspaper of the murderer who had escaped from Azkaban: Arneb White.

The name reminded him of his uncle and he realized that the old man was crazier than he had previously thought, to confuse him with a murderer. How absurd! Stan told Neville that Arneb White had killed a wizard and a dozen Muggles with one curse, making him tremble with fear.

At last they arrive to the Leaky Cauldron at London and when Neville got down the bus he met the Minister of Magic himself. The minister was waiting for him and Neville almost fainted from shock. But he was not expelled from school or sent to Azkaban as he had expected. Moreover his grandmother let him stay at the Leaky Cauldron because his uncle would stay a while longer at home, although in the note she had sent she also scolded him for running away like that, making them worry about his safety. Neville also found his toad Trevor among his clothes right before falling asleep just as dawn was arriving.

**xXxXx**

Harry awoke suddenly due to four hands fighting over his body and pulling him. He opened his eyes to see a blurry Charles and Leslie shouting "Happy Birthday!" Since they could not decide who said it first, Harry showed them the birthday card from Richard and both stopped arguing. Clarisse had prepared Harry's favorite breakfast and went to the backyard clothesline with the laundry while Sirius read the letters from Hogwarts that had arrived. He had finished signing the permission slip for Charles and he was about to sign Harry's when Clarisse came back in, yelling at him.

"How dare you sign that paper? Are you crazy?"

"Clarisse-!" Sirius looked at his wife as if she were the crazy one. "Why...?"

"What do you mean _why?_ There's a murderer out there!" Charles snatched the permission slip off the table before someone else took it. "They should not be out of the castle."

"But Sirius has already signed Charles' slip!" said Harry, who was in disbelief that they could not go to Hogsmeade because of a lunatic.

"It doesn't matter, neither of you will go." Clarisse seemed to be like a raging dragon.

"Well I'm going!" said Charles. "Dad's already signed it!"

"Give it back to me!" demanded his mother, but Charles flatly refused to give her the form. When Clarisse drew her wand and burned Harry's form, Charles fled from the house, taking the broom from the yard and flying away. Harry started to have a tantrum because Clarisse had burned his form and Leslie finished eating everyone's breakfast. That was not Harry's best birthday.

Later on Harry was in his parents' room at St. Mungo's, obfuscated because Charles refused to go home if he was not allowed to go to Hogsmeade and because Richard, where Charles had gone to take refuge, had permission to go.

"Don't be like that Clarisse," Harry had heard say Richard's mother in the fireplace, "they will be perfectly safe under Dumbledore's nose."

Sirius felt the same way but Clarisse threatened him that if he issued a permit to Harry it would be war at home. Charles stayed where he was, because if he came home he was sure to get the biggest punishment of his life. It was a shame that his parents were totally oblivious and were unable to grant him their permission. Harry sighed. It was definitely the worst of birthdays.

**xXxXx**

The rest of Neville's holidays were great. He ate ice cream when he wanted to and he was finally able to finish the History of Magic homework he had kept forgetting to do before. One day, while admiring the new Firebolt broom model, he met Harry, whose name he had borrowed for a few hours. Harry was glued to the window and moaned to the man beside him to buy him the broom. Neville could not greet him however because a very angry woman left the bookstore nearby with those horrible man-eating books and the man began to discuss how unnecessary it was to buy a costly new broom. Later, when Neville was purchasing his new third year books, he spotted a divination book about omens of death. What was on the cover was eerily akin to what he had seen when he had fled from his grandmother's house, and it disturbed him.

It was only on the last day of Neville's vacation that he met up with Ron and Hermione. Ron's rat looked ill and when they went to find some medicine, Hermione bought a ferocious cat that wanted to eat it. That evening, while having dinner with Ron's family, Neville learned that they would travel by car to the train station and, shortly after, the reason that everyone was trying to protect him. Later it transpired that Percy's Head Boy badge had vanished and Ron had left his rat tonic at the bar, so Neville went back to look for him. In doing so he heard Mr. and Mrs. Weasley arguing over whether or not to tell him about Arneb White, who was supposedly planning to kill him. Apparently Arneb White was a faithful follower of Voldemort and was after his skin, in an attempt to restore to his master to his former power. But for the first time Neville was not afraid. Who could be worse than Voldemort himself? Furthermore, Hogwarts was the safest place he knew. But he was sad that he could not go to Hogsmeade, after all, he was not completely useless having defeated Voldemort three times! "I'm not going to die," he said to himself firmly, recalling the image of death omen in the shape of a dog and trying to dismiss it.

The next day they arrived at the train station on time and Mr. Weasley behaved somewhat strangely with him. Why did Mr. Weasley think he would go after a murderer? While looking for an empty compartment, he overheard Harry complaining to his two friends that he was unable to go to Hogsmeade, and he continued past with Hermione and Ron until the last compartment that was only occupied by what looked like a very sleepy professor. Lupin? Could he be related to Richard? They stayed there discussing Neville and the murderer. Hermione and Ron told him not to panic, but for a change he was not afraid. For the first time in his life Neville felt confidence while his friends were scared for him. Then Ron and Neville were telling Hermione all about Hogsmeade when Neville admitted to them he could not go because his grandmother had not signed his permission form.

Having Professor Lupin with them had its advantages even though he was asleep, as his presence scared away Malfoy and his cronies. It had been raining all the way since leaving the station in London, when suddenly the Hogwarts Express stopped and the lights went out. Ginny entered the compartment where the trio was searching for Ron and Harry followed shortly after, who was in the hallway when unexpectedly everything became dark. Everyone was complaining and the teacher, who had so far slept for the entire trip, awoke and instructed them all to be silent. Harry could tell it was someone he knew, and when Lupin made a light he had to suppress a cry.

What came next happened very quickly. A rotting hand opened the compartment before Remus Lupin reached the door and everything went very cold. Neville began to hear a woman screaming and when he regained consciousness he discovered that he had fainted. However he was not the only one to do so. Harry had also fainted, but no one else at all seemed to have heard the screaming. Both boys were very embarrassed to be the only ones who had fainted.

The teacher gave them chocolate and went to speak to the driver, while the others wondered at what had happened. Harry ate his chocolate while the others talked and when Lupin came back he smiled at him. Why hadn't Richard told them that his father would be a school teacher?

Shortly after they arrived at Hogsmeade station, Harry was reunited with his friends and Ginny went with them in the same while Neville, Ron and Hermione rode another carriage on their way up to the school.

* * *

Thanks for reading.


	21. Professor Lupin

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating/editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

Hi! I'll have to eat my words, but after the last chapter I got this and the next two chapters ready! So, enjoy!

* * *

The fact that Neville had been foolishly saying that he and Harry had fainted on the train was heard by Malfoy, who thoroughly enjoyed killing two birds with the same joke. That, and the fact that Ginny was in the same carriage as Harry, prevented this from telling his friends that he had seen Remus Lupin on board the Hogwarts Express. Before entering the Great Hall McGonagall called Neville, Harry and Hermione apart, sending the others on to the sorting ceremony. She wanted Madam Pomfrey to check the two boys as they had fainted, but both maintained that they were perfectly fine and furthermore they had already eaten chocolate because Lupin had given them some on the train. Thus satisfied, McGonagall briefly spoke alone to Hermione, and then the four of them went in to the Great Hall.

When Harry was finally sitting at Gryffindor table, he saw how Richard kept glancing over to where his father sat at the staff table with a look of disbelief that told him that his friend had not known that his father was going to be working at Hogwarts this year. Dumbledore warned them about the Dementors and to not give the creatures a chance to hurt them, and then he introduced their new Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts – Remus Lupin. Many students of Gryffindor turned to stare at Richard while applauding, with Harry and Charles being the most audible.

"Look at Snape," whispered Charles, "he _hates_ him."

After the applause Dumbledore informed them that Hagrid was going to take the position of Care of Magical Creatures teacher as their previous teacher had retired. Neville and his friends clapped loudly.

Everyone ate merrily with the exception of Richard, who seemed very subdued and preoccupied with his thoughts. At the end of the feast, he was next to Neville and the others on their way to the staff table, but instead of heading towards Hagrid with them he went over to his father, looking upset.

"Hey!" Remus said to his son on their way out of the Great Hall.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Richard said sulkily.

"You were in Japan with your mother; I thought it would be nice to surprise you," Remus said with a smile.

"What's going to happen with...?"

"Don't worry about that, it's all settled," Remus said evasively, just as Snape passed them by, shooting Remus a look of disgust. "Go on and join the others, Richard, I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."

Richard, Neville and the other two reached the Gryffindors and arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady. Percy spoke the new password and they entered the Common Room. They soon reached the familiar boys' dormitory with its seven beds and were put to rest.

The next day Neville and Harry had to deal with Malfoy's irritating jokes in the Great Hall, but luckily it did not last too long because someone dropped a Monstrous Book of Monsters nearby and this sent Draco fleeing. After Ron's comment about Hermione's very crowded schedule, they went to the North Tower where the divination classroom was. They arrived there thanks to a crazy picture of a knight called Sir Cadogan who guided them and they sat at the table next to Harry and Charles, who looked strange without Richard beside them.

Professor Trelawney appeared like a giant insect and began her verbose discourse on the Gift of Divination. She hinted to Neville that his grandmother was not well, told Lavander that what she feared would happen in October, warned Parvati to take care of a redhead (at that she turned away from Ron), and gave other predictions about the class, putting most emphasis on her apprehension that one of them would leave the class forever in February. Neville broke several cups before they had even started to read their tea leaves. Harry and Charles laughed heartily at what each other 'read' in their cups, while Trelawney approached Ron to help him read Neville's Cup.

Hermione for the first time spoke back to a teacher, because of the utter nonsense she thought Trelawney was saying, making Charles drop his cup shock, and then the teacher, ignoring Hermione's behavior, told Neville that his cup contained the Grim – the omen of death. Hermione proclaimed that she could not see anything that looked remotely like the Grim and Trelawney told her that she had little receptivity to the unknown. Seamus was giving _his_ opinion about what he thought the shape was when Neville, tired of all the unwanted attention, announced loudly that he wondered when they would finish deciding he was going to die or not. After the commotion Trelawney dismissed the class, offhandedly telling Harry he would be late next time.

In Transfiguration Professor McGonagall turned herself into a cat and the only ones who appeared surprised were Harry, Charles and Richard, because everyone else seemed very concerned about something. Hermione explained that just before they had had Divination and McGonagall lost no time in telling Neville that Professor Trelawney always predicted the death of one of her students at the start of each year, and none had died yet.

Charles raised his hand. Now it was McGonagall's turn to be surprised.

"Yes, Mr. Black?"

"When can we start to learn how to become animagi?"

"Oh. _That,_ Mr. Black, is accomplished following years of hard practice and once succeeding the wizard or witch must register their Animagus form with the Ministry of Magic." That last part took away Black's eager smile.

At lunch Neville confessed to Ron that he really thought he had seen a Grim the day he had run away from his grandmother. Hermione was angry with Ron for believing in that rubbish. After finishing lunch they walked down to Hagrid's hut, where they were unfortunately joined by the Slytherin forth year students. Luckily Hagrid did not lead them to the Forbidden Forest, but had proud hippogriffs nearby in a paddock for their class. When Hagrid asked for a volunteer Richard stepped forward and was presented to Buckbeak and Hagrid even let him ride him. Seeing the success of Richard, the others felt more confident and decided to try too. Neville was having trouble with his hippogriff who did not want to bow, and Malfoy, who was now with Buckbeak, insulted the hippogriff, predictably causing it to attack him.

"Poor Hagrid," said Richard worriedly, walking behind the group that followed the wounded Malfoy up to the castle.

"Malfoy is a fool, he deserves what happened!" said Harry, Neville and Ron who unswervingly supported him.

That evening Neville, Ron and Hermione slipped out to visit Hagrid, who was drunk and almost certain that he would be fired due to the accident with Malfoy. After recovering somewhat, Hagrid got angry when he realised they were outside the castle at night with White about and dispatched them immediately.

Malfoy did not appear in classes until Thursday morning when they had double Potions with Snape, who made Harry and Ron (who worked together because Snape would not allow Harry, Charles and Richard to sit together) to prepare Malfoy's ingredients for the lesson. Meanwhile Neville had turned his potion orange and Snape threatened him to feed it to his toad at the end of the class. Hermione rushed to his aid while Seamus talked about the sightseeing of Arneb White near Hogwarts.

Malfoy took advantage of the fact that Harry and Ron had to clean up the work area for him and made fun of Neville, interested to see what he said about going to hunt down White, but Neville was more concerned about his potion than paying attention to Draco, although Ron was not. In the end, Trevor the toad did not die thanks to Hermione, but Gryffindor lost five points for her assistance. That afternoon, at last, they would have their first Defence Against the Dark Arts class with Professor Lupin. Richard seemed very nervous.

"You've been acting weird all week, Richard," mentioned Charles on their way there.

"Don't worry so much, I'm sure Remus will do a great job," Harry reassured him warmly.

"And in any case, nothing can be worse than Lockhart-!" Charles ended before entering the classroom.

Remus Lupin was not in the classroom when they arrived. When he did get there, he seemed to be in better condition than on the train although his clothes were still disheveled. He told them to put their books away since they were to have a practical class and he led them off to the staff room, getting rid of pesky Peeves along the way. Snape, who was in the staff room, cruelly warned Professor Lupin in front of the whole class that Neville Longbottom was in that class and so it was sure to be a disaster. When he left, Snape muttered something about not being impartial as he closed the door.

In spite of this, Lupin asked Neville to be the first to help, looking upon him kindly. What was there in the wardrobe was a boggart, Hermione answered the first question, and then Lupin asked Harry a question, and he had to deal with a frustrating Hermione next to him jumping up and down, but he answered correctly.

"What do you fear the most?" Lupin asked Neville, who was so terrified that he could barely answer.

"Pr-pr-professor Snape…"

Then Lupin told him to visualize his grandmother, her clothes, and to put them on the Boggart Snape. Everyone laughed out loud, but then he advised them too that they should think of what terrified them and how to turn it into something funny.

Neville stoically faced the Boggart Snape, expertly dressing him in his grandmother's clothes. Following him was Parvati and her mummy, Seamus and a banshee, Richard and a wolf which began to scratch its ear in the most comical way, Dean and a severed hand, Ron and a giant spider, Charles and a snake; and when it was Harry's turn the boggart suddenly turned into a dementor. Harry was taking too much time and turning pale, so Professor Lupin drew the boggart's attention to him and the boggart became a silver ball. Then it turned again to Neville, changing back to Snape, and it finally ended with all of their laughter.

It had been the best Defence Against the Dark Arts class ever, in all their time at Hogwarts. And everyone had earned five points!

"Your dad is the _best!_" said Ron enthusiastically to Richard as they left the room.

* * *

Thanks for reading.


	22. Fights

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating/editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

Since today I was suppose to update... Here is the new chapter! :) Enjoy

* * *

"No, you will not do it," Richard Lupin said firmly, standing in the way of his two best friends.

"Why not? It's a great idea!" Charles started to complain. "Also, it's so long since we did something _fun_."

"Exactly," said Richard, still blocking their way, "and I want it to stay that way."

"But ..."

"But nothing!" Richard was furious. "My dad hasn't had a job in a long time. If we do something, sooner than later Snape will try to have him fired. You won't do anything that might cause him any problems."

"But…"

"Charles, you heard me already. And you Harry, put away that invisibility cloak."

"Your dad can fend for himself," Charles said, trying to move Richard out of his way, to which Richard responded by drawing his wand.

"_You_ don't understand! You live in a perfect glass bubble. Nothing bad happens to you! You do _anything_ and your father celebrates it!" By now Charles had drawn his wand too.

"And you are the perfect child, is that it? Everyone thinks you're a saint, but actually..."

"Hey – guys – " Harry interrupted, concerned by the rising tensions and still clutching his invisibility cloak.

Richard Lupin was an ordinary young wizard. His hair was a light brown and straight, his eyes were like those of his father, and usually he was calm and collected. But lately, since returning from their summer holiday, he seemed a different person altogether. It was true that everyone thought Defence Against the Dark Arts classes were the best and so far Remus Lupin had never favoured them over the other students. But Snape did not think so. He had recently found the trio by the kitchens and Remus was blamed for the behaviour of the three Gryffindor. "I will not tolerate this again," Snape had said nastily. One would have thought that Richard would be happy with his father teaching, but since Remus had started teaching at Hogwarts the boy seemed increasingly disturbed. There was something that bothered him and that something broke that day.

Harry had always noticed that Remus Lupin's clothes were a bit battered, had never heard much about his work, and had observed that he disappeared for periods of time without notice. Rebecca, Richard's mother, had custody of the boy and very reluctantly let him stay with his father. Harry quietly agreed that Richard was right about something: he and Charles had always had a quiet life, unlike Richard.

"You don't know anything!" Richard continued to scream, as their wands had been tossed aside and now they had resorted to fist-fighting.

"Well, you are a know-it-all. So perhaps you can enlighten me on what it is that I don't know!" Richard was so angry that he could not speak. Charles continued to interrogate him, feeling more offended. "Are you keeping secrets from me?! Some friend you are!"

"You know what, I'm not anymore!" And with that Richard left the room, almost knocking Neville who was entering.

"Are we going?" Charles said to Harry, irritably.

"Err…"

"I see who _you_ side with." And Charles left, knocking into Ron on his way out.

"What's up with him?" asked Ron, confused.

"Nothing," sighed Harry as he climbed into bed.

Despite how amazing their classes were with Professor Lupin, the other classes were not going the same way. Neville was having a bad time in Potions since the story of the boggart Snape in his grandmother's clothes had travelled round the school like wildfire. In Divination Professor Trelawney kept looking at him with grief and Care of Magical Creatures classes were very boring following the incident with Malfoy. To top that, there was now a tension between Charles and Richard, who could not stand being in the same room together. Quidditch practices began and Harry at least was happy with that because he knew that this year they would finally win the cup.

One night after coming in from Quidditch practice, Harry saw Neville complaining with Ron because they had already set a date to go to Hogsmeade and he could not go. Ron told him to ask McGonagall for permission. Harry was just going to warn Neville that that was going to be difficult when Hermione's cat attacked Ron's rat and hell ensued. Apparently his friends were not the only ones who were arguing…

As expected, Professor McGonagall would not sign the permission form for Neville. Charles got away with his form, which Sirius had signed, and was able to go to Hogsmeade. Harry's only option was to go with Neville to the Halloween feast. When Halloween arrived, Harry looked more gutted than Neville, who had already accepted the fact that he would remain behind once the rest of the students had left the castle. Both returned to the Common Room, but Collin Creevy scared them with his camera so they decided to go to the Library. Yet Harry did not want to read and on their way Filch sent them back to their Common Room. Both were wandering around when they were found by Professor Lupin.

He had just acquired a new water demon, and he invited them to have a cup of tea with him and see it. It was nice inside his office and, after a while, Lupin asked Neville if he was worried about the death omen, but the boy replied no.

"You look worried, Harry," Remus said, while Neville spilled some tea and mumbled a red-faced apology. At first Harry said nothing because Neville was there, but in the end Neville had also fainted from the dementor, right?

"If… err… When we had that boggart lesson... Why didn't you let me face it?"

"I'm sorry Harry, but you were not ready; I don't think you would have liked to pass out in front of the class." Harry blushed and hurriedly drank his tea.

Unexpectedly Snape arrived, bringing with him a potion and a malicious look that was met with suspicion by the two boys. Lupin admitted that he had not been feeling well and needed the potion, but Neville whispered to Harry that it might be poison…!

Snape and Lupin's potion became the topic of conversation for Neville, Ron and Hermione when the latter two arrived with all the sweets they could bring for the first. In the Great Hall Neville noted that Lupin looked more cheerful now and if was not mistaken, Snape was watching him too. Some seats beyond, Charles was telling Harry how amazing Hogsmeade was. Today he was in a good mood and had even brought back Harry some joke toys and sweets. But Richard was not at the table.

They all left for the Gryffindor Tower after the feast and then they saw him, pale, standing in the crowd that had aggregated in front of the picture of the Fat Lady. Someone had sabotaged the painting and the Fat Lady had fled to a neighbouring picture frame. Peeves relayed the thrilling story to Dumbledore: it was _Arneb White_.

Thus everyone went to sleep in the Great Hall. Neville, Ron and Hermione lay down in a corner and a few feet away were Harry and Charles. Richard was on the opposite side from Neville, the farthest possible place from Charles. They still weren't talking to each other.

Harry and Charles murmured theories of how White could have entered the castle but Hermione refuted them all. Much later Dumbledore came in to speak with Percy and Snape joined them. Their Potions teacher remarked that White may have entered Hogwarts with help from the inside, but Dumbledore flatly replied that this was not the case, terminating the subject.

"What was that about?" Ron whispered as they left.

"Look at Richard," Hermione murmured to him in a soft voice. Richard was looking at where Snape had gone with much hatred.

Sir Cadogan was now guarding the entrance to the Tower and it was a disaster, especially for Neville who never remembered the new passwords and also after the incident was being guarded by Percy. Ron's mother was sure to be behind this act. Even the teachers took any excuse to accompany him between classes. Once Professor McGonagall called him and was about to warn him about White, but he said he already knew. To make matters worse she wanted to forbid him to go to the Quidditch match but Neville protested that, with so many teachers out there, White would not dare to come, and so he gained at least some freedom.

The one who did not have much freedom was Harry, who was constantly training even though the weather was very adverse. Due to this the Slytherins swapped for the match with the Hufflepuffs, who had a new Seeker, Cedric Diggory. Wood was now upon Harry the whole time and on the day before the game came Harry arrived late to class for Defence Against the Dark Arts because of him, only to find Snape there instead of Remus Lupin. It was a horrible surprise.

"Ten points from Gryffindor Potter. Now sit."

"Where is Professor Lupin?" Harry asked, not moving.

"He said he felt too ill to teach today… I believe I told you to sit, Potter."

"What's wrong with him?" Harry asked, still not moving.

"Nothing life-threatening," Snape replied, sounding almost bitter. "And five points from Gryffindor; it will soon be fifty if you do not sit down this instant, Potter." Harry walked slowly to his seat between Charles and Richard.

Snape began criticising Professor Lupin's class and incredibly the students were responding back to him brazenly. This made Snape increasingly angry, especially when Hermione insisted on showing him that they were not as far behind as he had made out. However Charles and Harry had not said anything to defend their favourite teacher, not because they were afraid of Snape, but because they could not take their eyes off Richard.

All that day Richard had appeared dishevelled and unkempt, much like his father, and with scratches everywhere. To anyone who asked he fobbed them off with different things like "I fell", "I fought with Black", "I fought with Malfoy", "Peeves" and when Harry asked he even claimed that he had been attacked by White. But now he seemed totally insane, when it was clear how livid he was with Snape and his acerbic comments.

When Snape took five points from Gryffindor for Hermione's explanation of the difference between a werewolf and a common wolf, it was fortunate that Ron spoke up, because Harry and Charles had to grab Richard.

"Do you want a detention, Lupin?" Snape threatened him but Charles managed to get Richard to sit.

"No, Professor," Richard hissed, brushing Charles' hand off him.

Snape left them with a lengthy essay on werewolves. As they left the classroom, Charles called to Richard.

"Are you all right?"

Richard looked back at Snape bitterly. "I'm all right," he muttered without looking at his friends and he marched off with no further comment.

**xXxXx**

Later that night, in a dark place…

"You shouldn't be here," said Remus Lupin.

"I won't leave you alone," replied Richard, who was by his side. A moonbeam filtered down between the clouds. Two wolves howled.

* * *

Thanks for reading and please leave your comments.


	23. The Marauders Map

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating/editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

Hello, hello!

Here is a new updated, enjoy!

* * *

Finally the day of the first Quidditch match arrived. Harry woke up early, even before dawn, thanks to Peeves and his confounded noises. After tossing and turning in bed, he decided it was better just to get up. As he was leaving the dorm he felt something brushing past his legs and just in time he stopped Hermione's cat from hell from entering the room. Harry was convinced that Ron was right about that cat and that it had something against Scabbers. Harry waited for breakfast in front of the fire in the Common Room, periodically scaring the cat away from the stairs to the boys' dormitories, and once it was time he left and went down to the Great Hall. Outside it sounded as if the world was being engulfed by an apocalyptic flood, but Quidditch games were called off for nothing, not even for storms such as this one. Harry ate breakfast with the team and left for the stadium.

Within minutes the Quidditch players were soaked by the deluge. In the stands, students huddled under umbrellas, to little effect. Harry could not see a thing; he did not even know if they were ahead or losing. In the middle of the game Madam Hooch's whistle sounded, diffusing distantly to his ears. It transpired that Oliver had called for timeout. A very soaked Richard approached Harry and miraculously charmed his glasses to help him see before he returned to the air. Yet even with his glasses repelling water Harry could not distinguish much, but between one lightning flash and another he discerned the figure of a large black dog in the empty stands. With another flash it was gone, but the lapse of time was quick enough for Cedric to catch sight of the Snitch before him. Soon Harry was after the Snitch too but all sound began to die out, everything became more cold and there below him were hundreds of Dementors…

But Harry was not the only one falling prey to the effect of the Dementors. Neville had fainted while standing and bellowing out encouragement to the team. With all the rain and Neville's bad luck, he slipped and rolled down the steps while in his mind he kept hearing voices –

"No, not Neville!" the voice of a woman, whom he had never heard before, was begging for his life while a cold voice laughed at her.

xXxXx

Harry woke up feeling very sore and found himself in a bed in the Hospital Wing, with Neville in an adjacent bed reserved for his sole use – for he was frequently ending up in there. He was still unconscious.

"Did we lose?" was the first thing Harry said, suddenly sitting up. Most of the Quidditch team was there, and Charles too, and they told Harry that he had fallen from a height of fifty feet, but luckily Dumbledore prevented him from hitting the ground hard – and yes, they had lost the match. Harry felt awful.

"Trevor!" Neville suddenly murmured in bed, before falling straight back to asleep again.

"He is hopeless," said Charles. "He's very hurt, he fell down the stairs after fainting and I think he also suffered a knock to the head." Neville came to himself shouting, making Madam Pomfrey appear with a big chocolate bar for him and she ordered the Quidditch team to leave.

"And my Nimbus 2000, where is it?" Harry asked after eating some chocolate, just before Charles too was instructed to leave.

"Well... when you fell the wind took it and it hit... it hit the Whomping Willow…"

"Huh?"

"That vicious tree in the grounds," explained Ron, who was there visiting Neville. "And it doesn't like to be hit…" Charles showed Harry what was left of his broom. What a grim end to one already very bad day.

Harry and Neville remained in the Hospital Wing for the rest of the weekend and were visited by several people who gave them encouragement. Among them was Ginny, who gave each of them 'get well soon' cards, although Harry's was full of glitter, hearts and kept singing most annoyingly. Charles brought them a card game and he, Hermione and Ron stayed with them as late as Madam Pomfrey would allow. In contrast, Richard went to visit for just a few minutes.

When it was very late on their last night in the Hospital Wing, Neville dared to ask Harry, "Why did you faint from the dementors?"

"I don't know. They really terrify me; I never liked decaying matter..." said Harry as impassively as if he was giving the weather news.

"I-" Neville began, trying to tell him about the voices he heard.

"Do you want to know a secret? But you must promise not to tell anyone," Harry blurted out in a surprise outburst of sincerity.

"Sure." Neville supposed that Harry needed a confident now that his best friends were at war.

"Before the dementors appeared… I saw the Grim."

"So did I!" said Neville, stunned and frightened, but relieved that he was not the only one. "That's why I got up from the seat and, well… you know the rest."

"Do you think it's after the two of us?"

"I hope not!" said Neville, wishing it was only after Harry.

Luckily Monday arrived. Draco was so happy that he no longer pretended that there was something wrong with his arm. And to make matters worse, he crowed over the Gryffindors so much that he provoked Ron into throwing a crocodile heart at him in Potions, resulting in Snape taking fifty points from Gryffindor. Luckily, Professor Lupin was back and he told them that they did not have to do the task Snape had set them, after most of the students had complained to him (Oh no! I've already finished it! said Hermione).

At the end of class, Lupin called to Neville and Harry, to ask how they were. After Harry lamenting the loss of his treasured broom, Neville dared to speak up about the Dementors. He felt very ashamed that they affected him so much, but Lupin said it was because he had lived through much more terrible things than others had.

"So what things has Harry lived through?" Neville pondered silently. Harry, as if to prevent Neville from thinking more on that matter, began to speak about Azkaban. Scared out of his wits by the thought, Neville began to plead for Lupin to teach them how to get rid of the Dementors, as he had done on the train, and Harry seconded him, thus making Professor Lupin promise to do so after the holidays.

Neville was happy because he would soon be able to fend off the Dementors and he would stop listening to the voice of his mother and Voldemort. Harry was also happy, because Hufflepuff was flattened by Ravenclaw in the next Quidditch match. Yet in the second week of December they both returned to unhappiness with the Hogsmeade trip before the holidays. Neville decided to spend the day reading a book about strange magical plants while Harry decided to try sneaking into the kitchens. On his way to the second floor he met the twins hiding behind a statue. They beckoned him into a nearby empty room and gave him an 'early Christmas present'. It was an old piece of parchment and they proceeded to tell him how they had stolen it from Filch.

"Do you know how to use it?" Harry asked after he had listened to their story.

"Oh yes!" said Fred. "This beauty has taught us much more than the teachers."

"Don't tell me!" Harry exclaimed incredulously.

"Don't you believe us?" said George, and with his wand he touched the parchment saying, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Then ink began to run down the parchment, which revealed an accurate map of Hogwarts. It was "The Marauders Map" by Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, Harry read. The twins then pointed out to him the paths leading out of Hogwarts and which ones he could use. Harry was beside himself. He owed them both so much! The twins left him with their treasure and Harry decided to use it right away. He managed to make the statue move and almost fainted when he saw Neville's dot on the map beside him.

"What are you doing Harry?" Neville asked, confused to see the hole in the ground where the statue had stood moments ago. Harry hesitated. Neville apparently had not seen the map, and after all, why not bring along the poor Boy-Who-Lived and show him some fun? He was sure the twins would not have objected.

"I'm going to Hogsmeade," he said, pointing to the hole. Neville doubted he could go through the narrow hole, but still wondered at the idea.

"Can I come too?" he asked and Harry smiled.

"Yes, but you can't tell anyone."

"Oh! What about Hermione and Ron?

"Ron maybe, but not the goose," Harry said with a mischievous grin, knowing she would tell a teacher. "Well, are we going or not?" he said agitatedly.

"Thanks," Neville said and hurried to light his wand.

With hard work Neville managed to squeeze into the hole. The tunnel seemed like a burrow and the ground was very uneven so it took an eternity to get to the other end, with Neville stumbling so frequently. "You should lose some weight!" Harry said, pulling him out of a particularly narrow part. Soon the path began to ascend and was cut out with steps. After more setbacks from Neville, Harry hit his head on something hard, which soon proved to be a trapdoor. They had reached what looked like a basement. The trapdoor was so well camouflaged that Neville doubted whether he would be able to find it again on his own. They crept up the steps while Harry strained to see what was up ahead when they heard someone coming. They quickly hid behind some boxes while someone went over to the opposite wall. Harry motioned for Neville, who looked petrified, to follow him, and they managed to climb up and merge into the crowd without being noticed.

Neville had not done something so reckless since, well, the end of the second year or the incident with Norbert. He felt he could take on the world, and he amicably patted Harry on the back, smiling happily.

Each of them went their own way. Harry soon found Charles near the exit and Neville came across his friends as they were deciding which unusual sweets to buy for him. The reactions on both sides were very conflicting. Charles was in absolute joy from being able to wander about with Harry, as well as bitter resentment for the twins because they had not given the map to him. Ron and Hermione were also divided. Neville told them that Harry had helped him and Ron was amazed, but Hermione said, "You should tell McGonagall!" Harry was quite right about Hermione's reaction to the adventure. But Neville refused to denounce Harry, and Ron convinced Hermione that White would not be daft enough to walk into Hogsmeade with the Dementors around.

After paying for their sweets Neville, Ron and Hermione left the shop. They quickly showed him where everything was, but as Neville was freezing because he didn't bring his winter coat with him they ended up going to the Three Broomsticks, which was so crowded that nobody noticed Neville was there. They were drinking butterbeer when McGonagall, Flitwick, and Hagrid entered along with Fudge. Ron and Hermione hid Neville under the table and Hermione moved a Christmas tree to hide them from the teachers, who sat at an adjacent table. They could hear what they were saying. Rosmerta joined them, mentioning that Arneb White was still in the area but complaining about the Dementors.

"I still can't believe that, out of everyone who crossed over to the dark side, Arneb White was one of them. I remember when he was in Hogwarts. He was so friendly; if someone had told me what would become of him, I would have told him that he had drunk too much."

"And you don't know the other half of the story," said Fudge. "The worst is not known to the public."

"The worst? Is there anything worse than killing all those poor people?"

"You said you remember when I was at Hogwarts, right?" said McGonagall's voice. "You must remember who was always with him."

"Sure, those two were always together. Arneb White and Frank Longbottom. Quite friendly, though not as entertaining as the pair of Black and Potter".

"One would have said they were brothers," said Hagrid.

"In fact few know that Arneb was adopted by Menkar Longbottom shortly after his first year at Hogwarts," said McGonagall. "He was a brother to Frank, so much he named him Neville's godfather. Of course he does not know that."

"Because he joined You-Know-Who?" ventured Rosmerta.

"Worse," said Fudge. "Few are aware that the Longbottoms knew they were being hunted. One of Dumbledore's spies gave him a tip-off and he warned them to go into hiding, using the Fidelius Charm."

"And how does that work?" asked Rosmerta, and Flitwick proceeded to tell her how a Secret Keeper worked. "So Arneb became Longbottom's secret keeper?"

"Naturally," said McGonagall. "Frank assured Dumbledore that Arneb would die before handing them over to You-Know-Who."

"Did they suspect him?"

"Dumbledore suspected that there was a traitor, but not him. A week after the spell was conjured he gave them away." Hagrid let out a few swear words that McGonagall severely reprimanded him for.

"It was me who encountered him. I took little Neville from the ruined house and then Arneb appeared, pale as a sheet, and I consoled the damned traitor! He wanted the boy because he was his godfather, but Dumbledore said just to give him to his grandmother; imagine what would have happened if I had given-"

"But he didn't escape. Wasn't he cornered the next day?" Rosmerta asked after a silence.

"Ah, I wish it would have been different," said Fudge. "The one who found him was little Peter Pettigrew."

"Wasn't he one James Potter's followers?"

"Yes, but he was close friend of Frank too," continued Fudge, "perhaps he was devastated and faced White because of it."

"He was so hopeless at duels," sobbed McGonagall into her handkerchief.

"Witnesses say he had no chance against White and all that remained was his finger."

"Is it true he's crazy?" Rosmerta asked after a while.

"I would like to say that, but on my last visit he was very normal, you'd think he was merely bored. He asked if I was finished with my newspaper, because he missed doing the crossword, and that was in a maximum security cell..."

They spoke a few more words and then they left one by one. Ron and Hermione appeared under the table, watching Neville who was speechless.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	24. Christmas at Hogwarts

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating/editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

Hello! After a long time, my editor and I are less time tight so here is a new chapter (and two more coming!).

Enjoy!

* * *

Neville did not know how he managed to get back to Hogwarts, not even stalling or stumbling. In the Great Hall the boys did not dare to say a word about the conversation they had overheard, because Percy was sitting nearby.

Afterwards Neville decided to go up to their dorm so as to avoid Harry, who was in the Common Room watching the twins and their pranks. There, he carefully pulled out a photo album. He himself had compiled it using pictures of his parents that his grandmother had kept. He knew that one of his 'uncles' was missing or dead – or at least, that was what he had been told when he had asked his grandmother about the photo – but she had concealed from him that the man was actually a heartless, evil traitor. Neville had never felt so much anger, hatred and bitter resentment for someone.

Suddenly he heard someone coming. He quickly lay down and pretended to be asleep. He did not want to talk to anyone right now.

With many thoughts swirling around his head, Neville only fell asleep when it was nearing dawn. When he awoke later, he found the dorm empty and silent. He went down to the Common Room but no one was there except for Ron and Hermione.

"Where is everybody?"

"It's the first day of the holidays," Hermione reminded him. "There's only us and Richard, who has disappeared – most likely with his dad. You look bad, Neville."

This was followed by a conversation that had quite obviously been rehearsed by Ron and Hermione, as they attempted to convince him not to go looking for White. Neville felt enraged. He would never see his parents, all because their best friend had deceived them and betrayed them!

Realising the conversation was futile, Ron tried to change the subject by suggesting that they pay a visit to Hagrid, but his idea swiftly backfired when Neville doggedly proclaimed he could ask Hagrid about White. They arrived at Hagrid's hut only to find the half-giant in a deplorable state after he had received a letter saying that there would be a trial for the hippogriff that had injured Malfoy. Hermione and the others assured Hagrid that they would help him put together a good defence for the trial. At least that kept Neville from bringing up White – for the time being.

The holidays progressed and the castle was decorated wonderfully despite only a few students remaining at Hogwarts. The three of them passed their days searching for information they could use to help Hagrid, and they barely saw Richard at all.

On Christmas day, Neville discovered an unexpected gift among his presents. It was a strange plant-animal that seemed harmless. But Hermione thought the opposite, especially because it had no note attached.

"It seems strange for someone to send a gift to Neville without a note," she said with deep suspicion, but the boys did not have a chance to answer her because at that moment Hermione's cat attacked Ron's rat.

Later in the Common Room there was a tangible tension. Hermione had to lock up her cat and Ron did not want to talk to her. Neville had tried to make peace between them, with no luck. He brought the little animal down to the Common Room.

"You have a Bowtruckle!" Richard exclaimed with surprise. Each day he was resembling his father more and more with his neglected looks.

"A what?" said Neville.

"They are creatures that live in trees and protect them." Richard pointed to what looked like a cluster of branches with eyes. "They are quite harmless."

"You _see,_ Hermione," said Ron venomously. She huffed and still looked askance at the creature through narrowed eyes.

"How do you know what it is?" Neville asked, glad to have someone to talk to who was not exuding tension.

"Well, my mother is a magizoologist. At home we always had all kinds of animals," Richard said, almost laughing. It had been a long time since the others had seen him this happy.

"So that's why you volunteered with that hippogriff in Hagrid's class?" said Ron, remembering.

"Yes, I had ridden one before," Richard answered calmly. Then he explained to Neville how to feed his new pet.

They went down to Christmas lunch to find that the house tables had been replaced by one big one where thirteen places were set out. Already seated were two first years and a Slytherin from fifth year. Remus Lupin was not at the table.

Dumbledore looked very festive and exchanged his hat with one that Snape had just found in his cracker – its resemblance to the hat of the Snape-boggart was uncanny. Richard had already helped himself to a second portion when Professor Trelawney arrived to join them for lunch. There were no chairs so Richard offered his.

She cried out, "Oh, no! You were the first to leave the table of thirteen; you shall be the first to die!"

"I thought that was Neville," Richard murmured sarcastically.

"Sybill, don't be silly, I don't believe that young Mr. Lupin will be beheaded on his way out," said McGonagall, making Neville burst out laughing at the absurdity of the idea.

"Ah, I see your father is not here. I do not think that Professor Lupin will remain with us much longer," Trelawney said enigmatically as she took her seat. Richard was not far from here and Neville noticed how seriously he looked at the teacher, having suddenly lost his appetite.

"Nonsense, Sybill," McGonagall said dismissively.

"I do not think that Professor Lupin is in imminent danger, merely he has had the misfortune to fall ill on Christmas Day," Dumbledore said, while Richard, looking angry, abruptly left the table.

At the end of lunch Neville and Ron went back to the Common Room together. Hermione stayed behind to speak to Professor McGonagall. Neville was trying to feed his pet while Ron thought of a name when they saw Professor McGonagall appear in the common room with Hermione at her heels. She confiscated Neville's Bowtruckle believing it possible that someone had sent it to him with a dangerous spell on it. Ron and Neville were furious with Hermione and from that day on she avoided the Common Room and took refuge in the Library.

A night near New Year's Eve, Hermione was coming out her hiding place when she encountered Richard, who offered to help her with her books. They walked along in silence for a while. She had never been very fond of the Potter-Black-Lupin trio given how much they loved to annoy her, and although Richard was the least likely to initiate an attack against her, she considered him a rival. He was the only student in Gryffindor who was as clever as her, for the moment at least. She thought that he could have been a Ravenclaw. Between them a competition had developed to see who could win more house points.

The silence was uncomfortable in the deserted castle, so Hermione began a conversation.

"You should have been in Ravenclaw," she announced, following her most recent line of thought.

"My mother was one," he conceded, "but I think I'm more like my father. When I told Mum that I had been sorted into Gryffindor she stopped talking to me for a month." Hermione stared at him. "My mother... let's say she's a tricky case," he told her.

"Oh! Your parents don't get along, don't they?" she observed.

"Not at all." It was the first time he had talked about this issue with someone. As it was a very private matter, his friends only knew half the story. "She barely lets me see my dad."

"Oh, wow…"

"It's not that she hates him, it's that it upsets her... Well, things she knew weren't going to change. I'm too much like him." Richard looked like he was lost somewhere in his distant thoughts.

"Is that why you argue with others?" Hermione ventured to ask.

"They have had a very easy life. Clarisse may get upset by their antics, but ultimately they win her over. I end up in _Japan_ with my grandmother if I do anything." Richard shuddered. "It has always been like that since we began primary school."

"Did you really attend a Muggle school?"

"Don't be surprised! There's Muggle blood in each of our three wizarding families, and we're not at all like the Malfoys."

Pleased with the way Richard was opening up to her, Hermione felt more daring. "What does Professor Lupin – your dad – what does he have?" she suddenly asked.

But Richard fell silent.

"He's just sick," he said finally in a neutral tone. Then he said no more.

But Hermione was already suspicious.

* * *

Thanks for reading.


	25. The Patronus Charm

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help translating/editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

Here is it, a new chapter for your enjoyment. Enjoy!

* * *

Harry and Charles returned with the rest of students for the start of the new term. Charles had gone through a horrible holiday at home, since his mother had grounded him for the whole time on account of his escape in the summer and had also revoked his permission to go to Hogsmeade.

"But _Mum!_ White has been inside the castle," Charles had complained. Yet she said it was to make him learn his lesson for the way he had behaved in the summer instead. He also had to serve sentences in solitude in his room and watch angrily at the great Christmas Harry was having.

Harry had had a wonderful Christmas. Leslie had sent him a couple of gifts for mischief-making and Sirius had surprised him on Christmas morning with a stunning Firebolt.

"I found out that your Nimbus 2000 had broken," Sirius explained. It had been the perfect excuse to buy Harry a new broom without his wife complaining about it.

"Why don't I have one too?" Charles complained sulkily.

"You are on detention," said his mother. "Anyway, your broom is in very good condition, unlike Harry's old one."

Charles was so resentful that he refused to speak to Harry from then on, and was still not speaking to him when they arrived back at Hogwarts for the start of term. Wood was most excited about the team's new broom. All he worried about now was whether the dementors would reappear at another game, but Harry assured him that he was working on that problem. He could not ask for more.

Classes began and at least Hagrid had improved, bringing salamanders to class to keep them warm, but Divination turned out to be a disaster, at least for Neville who according to the Professor had the shortest life line she had ever seen.

Neville and Harry were looking forward to their extra Defense Against the Dark Arts extra class with Lupin, and to the delight of both Lupin informed them that they were to commence the special class on Thursday.

"He still looks bad," Ron said to Neville as they walked to the Great Hall that day for dinner. "I wonder what is wrong with him."

Behind them, they heard a snort come from Hermione, who was trying to wedge another large book into her already overcrowded rucksack.

"What was that snort for?" Ron demanded.

"I didn't do anything."

"Yes, you did!" Ron said belligerently. "Why don't you just tell us what Professor Lupin has, if you already know?"

"Isn't it _obvious?_" she said with an air of utmost superiority.

"Don't tell us then if you don't want to," Ron snarled.

"Fine!" she said shrilly, and she left.

"Ignore her Neville; she just wants us to talk to her again."

But Harry had overheard the conversation and it gave him much food for thought; yet it soon slipped his mind as he was very excited about learning how to defend himself against Dementors. Along with Neville he went to the empty History of Magic classroom to meet Professor Lupin, who was waiting there for them with a Boggart.

"The spell that I'm going to try to teach you is very advanced magic, way beyond OWLs," he warned them and Neville paled. "It is called the Patronus Charm."

"How does it work?" Harry asked, with both curiosity and apprehension. Lupin explained to them what a Patronus was and how it would protect the castor from a dementor.

"What shape does it have?" Neville asked with more confidence than he felt.

"It varies according to each wizard."

Lupin proceeded to tell them how to conjure a Patronus and recommended focusing on a very happy memory. Harry thought about his latest broom, while Neville concentrated on his first journey on the Hogwarts Express and how happy he had been to make some friends. They practiced and immediately something came out of Harry's wand, while Neville had to try several more times to get something. When both were ready they took turns trying to fight the dementor. Neither of them obtained any result on the first try, and both fainted. Neville once again listened to his mother begging for the life of her child before she was killed.

On the second attempt Harry just about managed to get something to come out of his wand. It was not strong but at least he did not faint. Still frightened, Neville tried again, only this time when he fainted he heard his father and, once roused, it took longer for him regain his composure. When he said he had heard his father's voice for the first time, Lupin had a strange face and softly said that he had known him.

Then Lupin suggested that they should end it there for this class but both begged for one more chance. Harry managed to create a silver shadow between him and the dementor. It left him shaking like jelly but he was very happy in his accomplishment.

Maybe it was Harry's achievement that gave him strength, but Neville suddenly took up more confidence and tried again. This time the voices were faint and distant and a small shadow neatly flew out of his wand.

Then Lupin attracted the boggart's attention and locked it away, but not before Harry had noticed the silver sphere that it transformed into. Lupin gave both boys some chocolate and Harry was already at the door when Neville asked,

"If you knew my father, surely you also knew Arneb White?"

Lupin looked at him cautiously. "What makes you think that?"

"They were both friends at Hogwarts."

"I did not get to know him well," said Lupin. "Now, it's time for you to go back to your dormitory; I shall see you at the same time next week."

Harry barely had time to practice the Patronus charm as Wood's team practices had increased to five times a week, but he felt that with his new broom they would have a good chance of winning the cup.

One day he took some time to drag Hermione into an empty classroom.

"Goose, we need to talk," he said seriously.

"What do you want, Potter?"

"You owe us," he reminded her threateningly, remembering that she owed them a favour after last year when they subjected themselves to Snape's wrath so that she could perform some skulduggery under his hooked nose without being caught. Hermione fell silent.

"I know you know about Professor Lupin," he said warningly. She made to open her mouth but Harry told her to be quiet. "This is _very_ important to Richard. If I find out you've told someone, and much more a professor, I'll hex you so furiously that you'll spend the rest of your life in St. Mungo's." He said it so seriously that Hermione had no doubt that the warning was very real.

Harry continued, "It's something very easy for you to do; you say nothing, and then we'll call both sides square." Hermione nodded and Harry exited the classroom, leaving her behind, terrified.

Thanks to Hermione and his own observations, Harry now knew why Richard had behaved so strangely during the school year. Unfortunately Harry could not talk to his friend because he was always busy with his classes, and likewise Richard with his.

February arrived, and Harry could now produce a silvery vapour that kept the dementor away from him, but Neville was having a lot problems. He did not reveal the reason to Harry, but it was because secretly he found it hard to give up listening to his parents. From time to time he could also produce a small silver vapour.

Lupin was happy for both of them. "At least neither of you faint now, isn't that right?" he said, smiling reassuringly at Neville. He offered them each a Butterbeer and silly Neville let out that he loved those when of course it was assumed that neither of them had permission to go to Hogsmeade. Lupin gave Harry a knowing look, since he was aware that he had an invisibility cloak and the wits to avoid getting into trouble. Neville tried to amend his gaffe by saying that Ron and Hermione had brought him back some from their trips.

They were sipping their drinks when Neville asked what was beneath the hood of a Dementor. Lupin replied, telling him about the dementor's 'kiss'.

"Great, now I'll have nightmares!" Harry said grimly.

"That's what awaits Arneb White, I read it in The Prophet this morning," Lupin said, looking anywhere but them.

"He deserves it." Neville's response surprised them both.

"Do you really think that anyone deserves that abhorrence?" Lupin asked.

"Yes. For... well, for some things..." But Neville did not dare to tell them what he had heard at the Three Broomsticks.

On his way to the Gryffindor Common Room Neville thought about the Dementor's Kiss and agreed with Harry that he also would have nightmares. He almost bumped into Professor McGonagall who was returning his pet, having confirmed that it had no harmful spell upon it. When he reached the entrance to the Common Room, he suddenly realized that he had lost the list of all the week's passwords and Sir Cadogan refused to let him enter. Harry rushed to his aid, bringing back food from the kitchens, and they went inside.

Ron was pleased that Neville's pet had been returned to him, enough for him to make up with Hermione. He offered to take the Bowtruckle to the dormitory while Neville asked Hermione in amazement how she managed to keep up with all of her classes.

Suddenly there was a piercing scream that immediately silenced everyone in the Common Room. Ron rushed down from the dormitory, clutching a sheet coated with blood and orange cat hairs.

* * *

Thanks for reading


	26. Escaping to Hogsmeade

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

A new chapter is here, enjoy!

* * *

Ron and Hermione's friendship seemed to have come to an end. Neville personally thought that Hermione's cat had eaten Scabbers, but Hermione fired up when he mentioned this to her, claiming that he was allying with Ron, and she decided not to speak to him again after that. Meanwhile Harry enjoyed a great last practice before the game against Ravenclaw and assured Wood that he had solved his problem with the Dementors. At the end of practice Richard, who had been watching, approached him and Harry let him ride the new broom.

They did not speak and Harry decided not to ruin the moment since Richard seemed very happy to ride the Firebolt. Madam Hooch, who had been sleeping, woke up and instructed them to go back to the castle at dusk. On their way Harry thought he had seen the Grim, but as he looked closer he only saw Hermione's cat. Harry also thought that the cat had eaten Ron's rat, but returned to the conversation about the Firebolt with Richard. At no time did he dare touch the point he was most interested in talking about with the boy.

The next morning everyone was excited about the game. The day was perfect, but Harry took his wand just in case the dementors showed up again. In the Great Hall everyone was amazed by Harry's new broom, including Percy Weasley, who had a bet on the game against his Ravenclaw girlfriend.

Malfoy strutted up to him at the Gryffindor table. "Are you sure you can handle that broom, Potter?"

"I think so," said Harry casually.

"Too bad it doesn't come with a parachute, in case a dementor shows up," Malfoy sneered. His goons guffawed loudly.

"Too bad you can't add an extra arm to yours, so it can catch the Snitch for you," Harry retorted. Everyone in the vicinity laughed and humiliated Malfoy departed, along with the rest of the Slytherin team.

As he walked out onto the pitch, Harry immediately noticed that the Ravenclaw's team seeker was very pretty. Abashed, he looked up into the stands and saw to his utter shock that Charles was sporting a _blue_ banner, contrary to Richard's finger of # 1 in red and gold. Soon the came began and Harry, still reeling from Charles' betrayal, flew up into the air, keen on finding the Snitch. From the very start Lee Jordan spent most of the time commenting on the flashy new Firebolt and exasperating Professor McGonagall, while Cho Chang trailed after Harry, preventing him from getting anywhere near the Snitch.

Then one time he saw the little golden ball near the Ravenclaw end of the pitch, and as he made for he it heard Cho heard exclaim, "Oh no!"

Harry looked down and saw three hooded dementors. He had no time for them so without further ado he pulled out his wand and cried, "Expecto Patronum!"

A large silver shadow shot out of his wand. Harry did not have time to see what happened, instead flying straight on to catch the snitch and thus he won Gryffindor the game.

After a group hug in the air, Harry landed on the ground and was immediately enveloped in a big hug by an exuberant Richard. He was also very nearly hugged by Remus Lupin, who gave him his most heartfelt congratulations on the Patronus he had produced. It was only now that Harry learnt that they had not really been Dementors, but he had still given problems to the imposters who were under the hoods, which included Malfoy.

That evening there was a fantastic party in the Gryffindor Common Room where Fred and George threw around Hogsmeade products to everyone, and it only ended when Professor McGonagall marched back in at one in the morning and ordered them to go to bed. The only ones who were not at the party were Hermione, who was studying one of her numerous subjects and knew that Ron did not want her to be at the party, and Charles, who was still resentful for not being given a Firebolt and had gone to bed early in a strop.

Harry was soon asleep, like Neville, who was dreaming of walking through a forest with Harry's Firebolt, which was now his, and pursuing a silvery light. He ran and could hear galloping sounds, a clear and then –

"AAAAARGH! NOOOOOO!" Someone yelled. Neville woke up disoriented and fell out of his bed. Amid the confusion Dean lit his wand.

"White, Arneb White was in here with a knife!" Ron was saying wildly. Charles was at the door but he could see nobody.

The screams had awakened many and Fred came down, thinking everyone should continue on with the party. Percy was assuring Ron that he had just had a dream when Professor McGonagall came back in, looking very angry.

"Like you I am happy that Gryffindor won, but this is ridiculous! Percy, I expected better of you!"

Percy hastily informed her that his silly brother Ron had had a nightmare and had awoken the whole Tower.

"IT WAS NOT A NIGHTMARE!" Ron shouted. "ARNEB WHITE WAS STANDING OVER ME WITH A KNIFE!"

McGonagall looked taken aback. "Impossible, how could he have come through the Portrait?"

"Ask him!" Ron insisted. So they all hurried down to the Common Room and McGonagall asked the portrait of Sir Cadogan whether he had let in a man. The knight replied that he had indeed let in a man because had all passwords of the week in a list and had reeled them off to him most politely.

"Which person," she screeched as she climbed back into the Common Room, looking absolutely livid, "which _abysmally_ foolish person wrote down this week's passwords and carelessly left them lying around?"

Trembling from head to toe, Neville raised his hand.

**xXxXx**

Ron became an instant celebrity and he found it very enjoyable. Conversely Neville fell into disgrace and was punished by Professor McGonagall not just with detention. She forbade the rest of the House from giving him the password for the Gryffindor Tower, so he had to wait mournfully all evening for somebody to let him in. But worst of all was the Howler that his grandmother sent him two days later. Neville could not bear the shame.

That same day after lunch, Ron found him and told him that Hagrid had invited them both to have tea with him. Hagrid was not interested in Ron's story, and, after comforting Neville, he showed them the suit he was going to wear for Buckbeak's trial. He lectured them on how they should talk to Hermione again, because she was feeling the strain of taking so many subjects at once. They also spoke about the next Quidditch match and Hagrid accompanied them back to the castle.

Once back in the Common Room they saw that there was to be another trip to Hogsmeade. Ron encouraged Neville to come along again.

"Neville!" Hermione objected reprovingly from behind a stack of books. "Neville, if you go to Hogsmeade, I'll tell McGonagall about the passage!"

"Do you hear someone talking?" Ron said without looking at her.

"How can you encourage him, Ron, after what happened with White? I _will_ tell her–"

"Now you want Neville and Harry to be expelled and for us to lose in Quidditch?" said Ron angrily. "Haven't you done enough damage already this year?"

Hermione was about to reply, but Crookshanks appeared and at the hatred that twisted Ron's face she scooped him up and ran up to the girls' dormitory.

"What do you say Neville?"

"Ok, but I think I need to remember how to do that invisibility spell again."

**xXxXx**

"Great, another trip to Hogsmeade!" Harry muttered to Richard, who was reading a book of runes.

"You seem happy with the idea," the latter said without looking at him.

"Oh, I have not yet told you about the last time-!" But then both were distracted as Hermione tearfully ran past them up to the girls' dormitory.

"I'm not a fan of Hermione, but I think Ron has gone too far," Richard announced grimly, closing his book.

"Do not feel so sorry," Harry said, wondering how to tell him that, thanks to her, he now knew Richard's secret.

"I know she's a snitch and foolish goose, but she is not coping well with so many subjects to study as well as helping Hagrid with the poor hippogriff's case..."

"What hippogriff's case? How do you know about that?"

"Well, when you and Charles weren't speaking to me at Christmas I started to study with her. I helped with some snippets of information I got from Japan… although I still think that Hagrid will lose. Of course, I have not admitted that to her."

"Just watch yourself with her," Harry said without going into the sensitive topic. "Anyway, I know how to get to Hogsmeade and we could meet up there!"

"Does _Charles_ know?" Richard said in a bitter tone.

"Just know that I know how to join you there." Harry was beginning to think that Richard and Charles were too much like Hermione and Ron.

"Take your invisibility cloak just in case. If he went to Ravenclaw, he is capable of _anything_."

So on Saturday, Harry followed Richard's advice and took his invisibility cloak with him. He watched everyone going to Hogsmeade and then he went quickly to the third floor. To his dismay he found the dot labeled 'Neville Longbottom' approaching his own ink self.

"Hi Harry!" Neville said while Harry was hiding away the map. "Would you mind if I come with you? I promise not get stuck on the way."

"Sure, I – " but Harry did not finish. Snape had suddenly appeared behind Neville.

"What are you two doing here? A strange place to meet, is it not?" To Harry's horror Snape was now looking intently at the statue of the witch.

"We were not meeting here – we just happened to have met here," Harry explained quickly, for Neville had lost his power of speech.

"Indeed-? You have a habit of being in the most unexpected places, Potter, and very rarely with good intentions; adding Longbottom to that would be catastrophic, so I suggest you immediately return to Gryffindor Tower, where the two of you belong."

So they walked back to Gryffindor Tower, Neville now not so sure that he wanted to go to Hogsmeade if Snape was on their case. While Neville was weighing up his options, Harry discretely pulled out the map and saw to his delight that Snape had returned to his office, while Charles was in the kitchens. Hurriedly he ran back to the third floor, soon followed by Neville, and the two boys rushed down the secret passageway to Hogsmeade. Harry made Neville go out first 'for safety', and when he was out of sight he put on his cloak and slipped out of Honeydukes.

**xXxXx**

"What took so long?" Ron complained after Neville, invisible, whispered in his ear that he was there.

"Snape," came Neville's shaking voice.

"Ugh." Ron gave a contemptuous snort.

They walked down the high street and visited the post office, Zonko's, and finally the Shrieking Shack – or as close to it as they dared go. Ron was telling Neville how haunted it was, making Neville almost faint with fear, when Malfoy and his gang appeared, talking about the trial until they realized Ron was there.

**xXxXx**

Harry met up with Richard in a corner of Honeydukes, where they stayed a while drinking butterbeer. After that they browsed the shops, Zonko's in particular. It was a lovely day and both were in a good mood, talking about everything that hadn't talked about in weeks – except of course the important issue that Harry couldn't decide whether or not to bring up, not wanting to risk losing his friend again.

**xXxXx**

Oblivious of Neville being invisible nearby, Malfoy amused himself with making fun of Ron. Neville took the opportunity to catch him unawares by throwing handfuls of mud at him. Malfoy and his cronies were scared out of their wits, while Ron and Neville couldn't stop laughing. But all good things are short lasting, and Neville forgot to re-do the invisibility spell. Suddenly Malfoy was able to see Neville's head bobbing around before he managed to re-cast the spell. Malfoy ran off screaming and Ron advised Neville to quickly return to the castle before Malfoy blagged about what he had seen to a teacher.

Again Neville did not know how he came back so fast, but this time as soon as he came out in the third floor hallway he was caught by Snape, who took him straight to his office. Neville was sick with fear, but this time Snape did not have to levitate him to make Neville accompany him.

"Malfoy was here only moments ago, telling me a curious story," Snape drawled, eying up Neville who was now sitting terrified on the hard chair in front of Snape's desk. "He told me that he had found Weasley, apparently alone, near the Shrieking Shack when a large lump of mud struck his head."

Snape's voice was malicious, and Neville fretted over whether he was looking suitably surprised. "Do you know how that could have happened?" Snape continued. Neville attempted to make his face appear blank.

Snape began circling the room, still speaking. "Then Malfoy saw an apparition, Longbottom. He saw your head, and neither your head nor any other part of your body has permission to be Hogsmeade."

Neville was petrified, sweating away. He would have thought of an answer if not for the fact that Snape instilled in him such utter terror that he could not think of anything to say.

"But we both know you're a good for nothing fool and that you couldn't make it alone to Hogsmeade…" For the first time Neville looked up and saw Snape looking at him, intrigued. "I want you to give me the whereabouts of Potter."

"We were in the Tower, like you said…" Neville stuttered – it was all he could articulate.

"And someone could corroborate that?"

Neville remained silent. Snape leered at him.

"Your silence moves me. Now empty your pockets."

Neville, quivering like jelly, put the Zonko items on Snape's desk.

"Ron brought me those in the last trip..." he invented frantically.

"And you are still carrying them around in your pockets? How touching…"

But before he say anything more, Ron ran breathless into Snape's office.

"I - I gave - Neville – that – those – " he said, trying to take a breath between each word. "I bought them – in Zonko's – ages ago – "

Snape glared at them and took ten points from each. With another vicious glare he let them go, and both felt very lucky not to have received any further punishment.

But Snape was expecting a bigger catch. He knew that Neville Longbottom was not clever enough to be able to figure out how to sneak out of the castle – someone must have helped him, and he would catch the culprit. He stormed out of his office and had the fortune come across one of his most favorite victims almost immediately – Charles Black. Snape knew that the three annoying boys were not talking to each other, because of some trivial and idiotic dispute. Charles was walking along with a couple of books and thinking about nothing in particular when Snape stopped him.

"What are you up to, Black?" he interrogated Charles.

"I've just come from the Library; I was finishing my homework on vampires…"

"Do not lie to me, I know you're up to something!" snarled Snape. "Where are the others?" he demanded.

"I don't know…"

"Five points from Gryffindor!" said Snape crossly, irked that the boy was being deliberately unhelpful.

"What!"

"And another five, for that inappropriate response," Snape sneered and left him.

For the first time Charles felt outraged. He had lost lots of points in his time at Hogwarts, usually for something he had done already. Today, he'd had ten points taken off _for doing homework?_ How could they want him to take studying seriously when he was punished for doing so? Life was very unfair.

**xXxXx**

Harry had decided to return to Hogwarts early to avoid arousing any suspicion. He leisurely walked through the tunnel back to the castle and before he emerged from the statue of the witch he checked the map to ensure that no one was nearby. But he had barely taken a few steps down the corridor when a hand grabbed his shoulder, like an eagle seizing its prey.

"I was waiting for you."

Snape had caught him.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please leave your reviews.


	27. Snape's grudge

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

* * *

Harry was sitting in Snape's uncomfortably familiar office with no idea why he was there, or, more accurately, how Snape could have possibly learnt about his mischief this time. He was already planning which hexes to use on Charles or Hermione if one of them was to blame for being a snitch. Then he began to worry because he realized his pockets were stuffed full Zonko's merchandise and Snape would not be fooled – this would be solid evidence in the potion master's eyes for his rule-breaking. He had landed himself in a very big problem this time. The only good thing was that he must have dropped his Invisibility Cloak somewhere in the tunnel, an oversight that he was now grateful for, as it was one less piece of condemning evidence for Snape to get his hands on.

"Earlier today," Snape started to drawl, "I was told by Mr. Malfoy that he had seen Longbottom's head in Hogsmeade."

Harry tried to look bewildered and shocked. "Malfoy must have drunk too much butterbeer…

"Silence!" Snape stamped over Harry's ramblings. "It is no secret that Longbottom is incapable of doing anything decent without help from his friends. He could not possibly have found a way out of Hogwarts and got himself there completely undetected on his own merits. One of you played a part in this escapade."

Harry flared up indignantly on Neville's behalf. "But Neville defeated-"

"One more word Potter and you will have detention until your OWLs!" Snape snapped nastily. "You and Longbottom met in the hallway on the third floor before escaping, didn't you?" Harry wanted to reply but thought twice on it and remained silent, not wanting eternal detention.

"I am quite sure that no one will be able to confirm for us that you were in Gryffindor Tower," Snape continued with a leer. Now Harry knew he was in trouble.

"Everyone is trying to protect that hopeless fool Longbottom, but you arrogantly disregard this and decide there is no need, leading him out of Hogwarts." Harry was silent, thinking on what he should say. He had long learned that to answer back to Snape without thinking twice led to a painful punishment.

"You are extraordinarily like your father, Potter…" Harry looked up and saw a wicked glint in Snape's eyes. "He was also extremely arrogant. With some talent in Quidditch he suddenly believed he was a cut above everyone else, strutting about the castle with his buddies and a ridiculous fan club. The resemblance between the two of you is remarkable."

"My father did not strut!" Harry retorted, falling into Snape's trap, "And nor do I!"

"Your father also never gave much regard to the rules," Snape continued maliciously. "Rules were for mere mortals, not Quidditch Cup champions. His head was so swollen – "

"SHUT UP!" Harry found himself standing and was full of hot anger.

"What did you say, Potter?" Snape's voice was dangerously quiet.

"I told you to shut up! I know the truth! My dad saved your life. Sirius told me you wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him."

"And your dear Sirius told you the circumstances under which your father saved me?" he whispered, his face the colour of rancid milk and dangerously close to Harry's. "Or maybe he thought his precious children should not hear something so unpleasant?"

Harry bit his lip, he knew he was in big trouble for he did not know what had really happened. Snape seemed to be aware that he did not know.

In their first year at Hogwarts Charles and Harry had complained to Sirius about the horrible Potions professor that they had, Harry insisting that he was particularly unfair on him. Snape _hated_ him. After Clarisse forbid her husband from visiting Hogwarts to have words with Snape, Sirius had told Harry that Snape was an old acquaintance who had never gotten along with his father or any of his father's friends, and still resented the fact that James had once saved his life.

"I do not want you to go about with a false impression of your father, Potter," Snape said with a horrible smile. "Had you imagined an act of glorious heroism? Let me correct you. Your saintly father and his friends played on me a hilariously funny joke that would have resulted in my death if he had not got cold feet at the last moment. He was saving his own skin as much as mine, I assure you. It was not at all an act of courage. Had the joke been seen through to its end, he would have been expelled." Harry could see Snape's teeth bared in a malicious grin.

"Now; empty your pockets, Potter!" Harry gulped. There were several banned items that he had purchase in Hogsmeade that day, and there was also the map.

"Planning on mischief Potter?" Snape said, examining the bag's contents.

"I've had these for a long time - " Harry made up.

"Really? You and Longbottom keep joke products in your pockets at all the time? This is a new fashion which I must warn Filch about. Now what is that?" he said, pointing to the map.

"Just an old piece of leftover parchment," Harry said, trying to sound casual.

"Surely you do not need a piece of parchment that is so old? Then it will be no matter if we discard it…" Snape said, taking the parchment over to the fire.

"No!" Harry gasped.

Snape seemed to nearly leap with delight, his eyes glinting triumphantly.

"So perhaps it is a gift from the friends with whom you are not currently speaking? Or maybe it is something else – a letter with invisible ink? Or instructions on how to exit the castle, which you shared with Longbottom?" Harry stayed silent.

Snape took his wand and ordered the map to reveal its secrets, but to Harry's relief nothing happened. Snape made another attempt and still nothing happened.

"Professor Snape, master of this school, orders you to show your hidden information!" he commanded, trying to see the concealed information.

To Harry's dismay ink began to appear as if an invisible hand was writing over its surface: "Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and asks him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business." Snape froze. Harry stared, dumbstruck, at the message. However, the map did not stop there.

"Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony, and would like to add that Professor Snape is an ugly git." It would have been very funny if the situation had not been so serious.

And yet there was more... "Mr. Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that became a professor." Harry closed his eyes in horror. When he opened them one last message was glaring up from the parchment.

"Mr. Wormtail wishes a good day to Professor Snape, and advises him to wash his hair, the slimeball."

Harry was sure that Snape would kill him any second, but all Snape did was call Lupin. Snape showed the other professor the map and a strange look appeared on Lupin's face. Lupin took some time to reply to Snape and eventually told him that it was merely a joke product, and not at all a piece of dark magic. Perhaps Harry had bought it in a store…

"Really?" Snape said angrily. "Do you not think it more likely that he got it _directly from the manufacturers?_"

Harry did not understand what Snape was talking about, and neither did Lupin, apparently.

"You mean Mr. Wormtail or one of these other people? Harry, do you know these men?"

"No," he said quickly, and it was true.

"You see, Severus," Lupin said quietly. "Now with your leave, I will take this with me and study it further. I need to clarify with Potter a query I have in his essay on vampires." And thus he managed to whisk Harry away from Snape's office, without him receiving any punishment.

Richard was waiting outside a few steps away, and it was not until the three of them had reached the Entrance Hall that Harry dared to speak.

"Remus, I – "

"Harry, I don't want any explanations," Remus said and dropped his voice. "I happen to know that this map was confiscated by Filch years ago, yes, I know that it's a map," he added as Harry stared at him in amazement. "I do not want to know how it fell into your hands, but I'm frankly amazed that you did not hand it in to me, especially after the episode in which a student left information lying around, information that would lead White to your friend Longbottom. I cannot let you keep this map."

"But why did Snape think I got it directly from the manufacturers?" Harry asked.

"Well..." Lupin hesitated. "The people who made this map would have wanted you to get out of Hogwarts. They would have found it very funny."

"Do you know them?" Harry asked, astonished.

"Yes," he said very seriously. "Now don't think I will cover up for you again, Harry. I cannot say anything more that will make you take White seriously enough, yes you too Richard. Your parents gave their all to protect you," he said, turning back to Harry, whose face turned as red as Ron's hair, "and this is a bad way to repay them." Lupin left Harry feeling worse than when he had been in Snape's office. He was sure that Richard would not say anything to him but his friend seemed to feel as contrite as he did.

"I guess I'm just as guilty as you are," Richard said. "I should have told you not to go when you said you knew how to get to Hogsmeade. But it was so long since we'd had a good time..."

Harry did not want to go back near the statue of the witch to fetch his Invisibility Cloak, so he went straight back to the Gryffindor Common Room. Outside they saw Hermione crying, telling Ron and Neville that Hagrid had lost Buckbeak's case. With this news, Ron and Hermione reconciled and tried to help Hagrid make an appeal.

After a Care of Magical Creatures class where they had been talking about the possibility of appeal, Malfoy began to taunt Hagrid, provoking an unexpected reaction in Hermione. She slapped the Slytherin and when Ron tried to grab her she whipped out her wand. Malfoy quickly decided to leave. "I just hope that Gryffindor wins the house cup!" she said bitterly before going with the others to Charms class.

Interestingly, Ron and Neville realized that though Hermione had been behind them when they had entered the castle, she missed Charms, and they later found her sleeping on a pile of books in the Common Room. Hermione ran off to apologize to Professor Flitwick and joined her friends in Divination, where they had to read crystal balls. After making several derogatory comments on the subject and complaining because their fraud of a teacher again saying there was a Grim in Neville's ball, Hermione jumped up and quitted the classroom, leaving everyone behind with open mouths, utterly astounded.

The Easter holidays proved to be anything but a holiday. Neville nearly collapsed under the load of material, Hermione seemed on the verge of insanity with so many things that she had to do, and the others were near panic anyway, even though the exams were still far away.

But what had everyone highly strung was the expected final match of the Quidditch Cup. Such was the tension that fights had broken out in the hallways and several sixth years had ended up the in the Hospital Wing. Harry now feared for his safety as the Slytherins seemed to want to injure him, and he was even more concerned for his precious broom. Wood gave ordered the rest of the team to not leave Harry alone and now he could not go anywhere without a crowd surrounding him protectively. After all of Snape's comments about his father, whenever he saw the Potions Master in the hallways he blushed in embarrassment. He was incredibly mortified by the story of his father. Sirius had always talked about the incredible things that he and James had done, James' talent in Quidditch, and, to a lesser degree as his wife did not want to put bad ideas in the boys' heads, their antics in school. But the portrait Snape had painted was totally different. Did Snape know about the condition his father was in now?

Harry was somberly thinking about this the night before the Quidditch game, and even Hermione had stopped studying due to the tension in the Common Room. Neville had given him a chocolate frog and Richard, who since the incident in Snape's office had gone back to being reserved but was at least speaking to him again, tried to give him encouragement. Charles approached them from the crowed watching Fred and George.

"I am a foolish and ignorant idiot," he said to the other two.

"And a traitor," said Harry, remembering that Charles had sided with Ravenclaw in the last Quidditch match.

"And also very stubborn," Richard added.

"I know. But... next to the two of you I feel like a pile of shit! Richard always gets the best grades and Harry is the best in Quidditch and has an amazing broom."

"It's not my fault, I didn't ask for it," Harry said irritably.

"I _know_," Charles said, somehow getting angry again.

"So are you going to join Slytherin now?" Richard asked suspiciously.

"Are you crazy?!" Charles exclaimed. "Ok, sorry. I – I'll try to be a better friend," he said, both exasperated and remorseful.

"And you're not a complete pile of shit," said Harry, who in his gladness tried to comfort his friend.

"Only partial," Richard grinned.

"And you're almost my brother," Harry added.

"And you're my best friend," said Richard.

"Although… I still don't forgive you for going over to Ravenclaw." But at that point Wood ordered the team to go to bed, so Harry had to leave. Richard and Charles stayed talking for a little longer.

"I've been studying more," Charles told Richard.

"That's good. Who have you been friends with all this time?"

"No one really, but I've been speaking with Leslie."

"Leslie?! Out of all people…" Richard incredulously said. "I hope you have not given her false hope that you're her best friend."

"Yeah, well, I don't think it falls into that. It's just easier to be friends with her as she's not a nerd and her skill in Quidditch is doubtful."

"Leslie is very good at spells," Richard objected.

"Well, it's thanks to her that I'm talking to you. It's terrible to be a girl's confidant!" Richard just laughed.

Neville had a very restless night's sleep, with the pressure of exams and wanting Gryffindor to win causing him problems. He awoke sometime in the morning when Harry had shouted: "No! How could you make Neville play?" Neville felt dizzy at the thought. Harry must be having a bad nightmare. Neville was thirsty, so he tried to make as little noise as possible as he got out of bed, poured himself a glass of water and drank it looking out of the window.

It was quiet and still outside – a perfect day for the Quidditch match. Just as he was about to return to bed he caught sight of an animal down there on the lawn. He pressed his face to the glass. It could not be the Grim, not before the game! Neville checked again but he could not find anything except Hermione's cat, prowling around near the forest. He breathed again, but a second later his breath hitched when he saw that the cat seemed to be accompanied by another, much bigger animal that at a distance resembled a black badger. Neville called Ron to come and see, but when Neville turned back to the window the animals were gone and Ron had already fallen back to sleep.

The next morning Harry was in high spirits due to anticipation of the Quidditch game, being friends with Charles again, and the news that incredibly Leslie was Charles's best friend. Soon Slytherin was defeated. Harry was happy. Neville was happy. And both thought that if a dementor had been there at that time, they would have made the world's best Patronus.

* * *

Thanks for reading and please leave your comments.


	28. The rat, the cat and the badger

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

* * *

It was the end of the year and exam time again. In Gryffindor Tower Percy was at his limit with the NEWTs and even more over the edge than Hermione with the large number of subjects that she was taking. Both were irritable as they tried to find a quiet time for studying.

In the Potions exam Neville made a mess, while Harry was convinced that Professor Snape had given him a zero – his potion was not going at all well and the teacher still resented him after failing to expel him when he caught him with the map.

Their penultimate exam was Defense Against The Dark Arts, which consisted of an obstacle course. Harry, Charles and Richard made good performances, as did Neville who incredibly managed to overcome all of the obstacles, including the boggart Snape. Meanwhile Ron was tricked by a hinkypunk, and Hermione failed her encounter with a boggart McGonagall telling her that she had failed everything. Charles and Harry laughed over Hermione's failure all through lunch, but she, Ron and Neville were too worried about Hagrid and Buckbeak, as the appeal and execution were set for later that day, than to pay attention to the boys' teasing. Neville and Ron left her to take their Divination exam while she took her Muggle studies paper. When the boys reached the tower, Harry was already there and informed them that Professor Trelawney would see them one by one.

Charles was before Harry, and like the others he also declined to say what he had seen during the exam. "The Crystal Ball said I would have an accident if I told you," he said, "I just want to be careful."

Harry was next and soon came out with a worried face. "I think I saw something, but to be honest I do not know why I took this class," he said to Charles, who was still waiting there for him.

Lavender was next and left the tower later quite happy, and then it was Ron's turn. He saw nothing at all in the ball, and so he made something up.

Then the only one left was Neville. He did not see a thing when it was his turn so he improvised, claiming he saw a hippogriff that still had its head, was not covered in blood, and flew freely through the darkening sky. Professor Trelawney sent him away a little disappointed, but when Neville turned to go through the trap door he heard a loud voice that was not his teacher's usual voice, saying: "_It will be tonight."_

Neville turned and saw with fear that Trelawney seemed to be in a trance or having a seizure. Thus he heard the prophecy that spoke of Voldemort's return. Tonight was the night when his servant would be freed. After she had recovered from the trance, though, Trelawney denied prophesying such a thing, and Neville wondered if perhaps she had just made a true prophecy for once.

When he reached the Common Room, he could not enter as Harry, Charles and Richard were on their way out, heading for a celebration down in the kitchens, and Ron and Hermione were waiting for him outside the Portrait Hole with a note from Hagrid, saying that the appeal had been lost and Buckbeak's execution would be at sunset. Neville insisted that they went to see Hagrid but he did not dare use the invisibility spell following his mishap in Hogsmeade. Hermione suddenly brightened, asked Neville to tell her where the entrance to the tunnel to Hogsmeade was, and when he had answered she rushed out of the Common Room without a word of explanation.

Fifteen minutes later she returned to the Common Room, where Neville and Ron were still baffled by her behaviour. Then they saw that she had something under her cloak.

"It's Potter's Invisibility Cloak! I heard him say that he'd left it by mistake in the secret passageway and couldn't go back to fetch it because Snape was keeping an eye on him constantly!"

"I don't know what's gotten into you Hermione," Ron said, astonished. "First you hit Malfoy, then you left Divination, and now you're stealing from Potter!"

"I didn't steal it, I borrowed it," she said, somewhat flattered all the same.

They went to dinner with the rest of the students and Neville concealed the Invisibility Cloak beneath his robes. He was very nervous because Harry himself was sitting beside him, chatting animatedly with his friends. After they had eaten they did not return to the Common Room, but went to the Entrance Hall and waited until the last two sets of footsteps receded into the distance and ended behind the slamming of a door. Then they put the Cloak over themselves and went down to Hagrid's hut.

xXxXx

Charles, Harry and Richard were so full that they could have rolled their way to the Common Room. They had crammed their mouths with cakes in the kitchen and then eaten even more at dinner. They were so bloated that they decided not to go all the way up to the Common Room in one go, but to make a stop in an empty classroom that happened to overlook the courtyard. The sunset was beautiful and the night quickly began to cover the lawn with its grey mantle.

Each was lost in his own thoughts when Harry, in a state of intoxication induced by too much sugar in his blood, said aloud,

"Richard, I know the reason why you didn't want us to cause trouble and make life difficult for your dad." Richard looked at him blankly.

Harry continued courageously, hoping he was doing the right thing. "I've known it since earlier this year."

**xXxXx**

Hagrid let Neville, Ron and Hermione into his cabin after they had explained to him that they were hidden under an Invisibility Cloak. Hermione helped him serve the tea because he was shaking too much and spilling the pot. In doing so she found Scabbers in the milk jug. During the commotion Hagrid spotted Fudge and Dumbledore approaching through the window and ushered the three of them out of his back door, urging them to return to the castle when the coast was clear.

They were despondently walking back up the lawns when Ron had some trouble with his rat, which was squealing madly but not enough to drown out the sounds from Hagrid's hut. So it was that, halfway across the grounds, they heard the distinctive sound of an axe falling on something. They were totally horrified. Once Ron and Hermione had prevented Neville from throwing up after hearing Hagrid's howls of grief, they continued on their way back to the castle. But the rat was still giving causing problems and Neville could soon see why – Hermione's cat was stalking them.

Then several things happened very quickly. Scabbers escaped from Ron's bitten hands, Crookshanks pursued him, and Ron darted out from underneath the Invisibility Cloak. When Ron finally caught his rat, Neville and Hermione nearly crashed into him while running to catch up, the Cloak fluttering behind them like a banner.

Before they could do anything, not even breathe, a badger of enormous size appeared out of the gloom, charging towards them. The badger knocked Neville over, growling with his hair standing on end. Neville was terrified but tried to stand up. The badger knocked him down again and this time turned to Ron, biting his arm. Neville tried to stop the animal, but the badger was dragging Ron away like a rag doll. Before Neville could make a movement something hit him hard and he could hear that Hermione had suffered a similar blow. He lit his wand only to find that they were being attacked by the vicious Whomping Willow.

Beyond, Ron struggled with the badger that still was holding him by the arm and was dragging him into a hole between the roots of the willow tree. He was tiring and losing the battle, and his friend heard the horrible sound of his leg breaking as the badger succeeded in pulling him inside the hole, out of sight.

**xXxXx**

"What are you talking about, Harry?" asked Charles, suddenly alert. Richard seemed petrified.

Harry looked at him unsurely. "Well, Remus is – "

"Don't you dare!" Richard cut in furiously.

"Don't you trust me?" Charles said, offended.

"This is what resulted in us fighting all year long. Charles is our friend, he has a _right_ to know," Harry said fairly to Richard.

"No!" Richard was adamant.

"You shouldn't be ashamed of it," Harry said softly.

"I'm _not_ ashamed!"

"So why didn't you tell us before, then?"

Richard did not reply. They had been shouting and Charles was between Harry and Richard, trying to separate them.

"Either you tell him, or I will," Harry said stubbornly. It was time to stop hiding secrets from each other.

The boys were so focused on their argument that they did not hear the frantic cries of Hermione outside the castle.

**xXxXx**

They had to go help Ron. Hermione shouted desperately for help and as if in response, Crookshanks went to the base of the Whomping Willow and made it stop thrashing around.

"How did he do that?" she wondered, amazed.

"He friends with the badger," said Neville, going to the hole at the base of the tree with his wand in hand. "I've seen them together."

They followed Hermione's cat into the hole and through a tunnel under that seemed as long as the tunnel that led to Honeydukes. After what seemed to them like an eternity, they found themselves in a large space. They lit their wands and tried to see where they were. It was a dilapidated, dusty room, and they heard some creaking and footsteps on the floor above them. Then they realized.

They were in the Shrieking Shack.

**xXxXx**

"Okay…" Richard gave way, but no more words came out of his mouth.

"Remus is a werewolf," Harry said quickly, avoiding Richard's murderous look.

"What? But – how? Since when?" Charles asked incredulously.

"Since he was a child," Richard replied quietly.

"Why didn't someone tell us? Why didn't you say anything?"

"Harry doesn't talk about his parents while we're at school, and you don't reproach him," Richard complained. Harry blushed.

"But we know about his parents!" Charles carried on regardless.

"He did not want anyone else to know," Richard explained.

"Does my dad – "

"Of course he knows," said Richard dismissively.

"What other things is he hiding from us?" Charles speculated, disenchanted.

"It's not your fault. My dad doesn't want anyone at school to think he is sick or a freak. His condition is the reason why he has never had a job, and I think it's also partly why my mother divorced him."

"Do you think Snape knows?" Charles asked suddenly.

"I'm sure he knows," said Richard bitterly. "Remember that essay he set the day he took our class."

"Are you a werewolf too?" Harry asked interestedly.

"No. I'm not."

"So that's why your dad is absent so often… whenever the moon is full…" Charles said.

"Damn!" Richard cried out suddenly.

"What is it?"

"Tonight is a full moon!" he moaned and ran off with his friends at his heels.

**xXxXx**

Neville and Hermione found Ron lying on the floor in the room upstairs with Hermione's cat purring beside him. They asked him urgently where the badger was, but Ron only had time to blurt out that it was a trap before Arneb White took away their wands with an Expelliarmus. He looked like a corpse and was thoroughly haggard. He stared at Neville.

"I knew you would come for your friend. Frank would have done the same for me," he said, his voice hoarse from lack of use.

Neville was incensed. He wanted his wand back; he wanted to seek revenge on the man who was the reason his parents were dead. Hermione and Ron latched onto him, preventing him from doing something stupid, but Ron was pale and his leg was badly injured while his arm was bloody where the badger's teeth had penetrated it. White commanded Ron to lie down to prevent further damage to his leg, but Ron just told him that he would have to kill all three if he wanted to kill his friend.

When White said there would only be one death that night, Neville interrupted him – after all, he had killed all those innocent people years ago, why hold back now? He had even killed his _parents_. Suddenly filled with a great, unknown force, Neville broke free from the grasp of his friends and launched himself on White, pushing him to the floor. Hermione and Ron joined the scuffle, ending with White backed into a corner while all sported visible bruises.

Now Neville had his wand back. Since he had grown up among wizards, he was fully aware of how to cast the Killing Curse. And there he was, pointing his wand directly at White's chest, at the man who was now admitting that he had killed his parents but wanted to explain himself.

Neville did not want explanations.

Yet several minutes later he still could not cast the curse and there was the sound of someone else approaching them. Hermione began to yell that White was with them and Remus Lupin burst through the door, throwing Expelliarmus at the teenagers, accompanied by another handsome man with black hair and gray eyes.

**xXxXx**

Richard, followed by Harry and Charles, had run to Remus Lupin's office, but were delayed by Peeves and before turning the corner Richard stopped suddenly, causing the other two to collide with him.

"What the – ?" Harry began, rubbing his head where he had hit Richard's shoulder, when his friend turned and glared at him.

"Snape!" his hissed urgently.

The three boys watched as Snape left Lupin's office briskly, wearing a triumphant face. Then they knew that something bad was about to happen, and judging by the unusually great happiness on Snape's face, it was to be _very_ bad.

**xXxXx**

"Where is he?" Lupin asked in a strained voice.

White's face bore no expression, but the man pointed at Ron.

"But then – ?" whispered Remus' companion. "Why hasn't he shown himself already? Unless..." Both men seemed to have had an epiphany at the same time, "Unless he was... Unless you'd changed without telling anyone else."

Lupin and the other had lowered their wands and Lupin was reaching out his hand to White. Neville could not believe what was happening. But it was Hermione who spoke first, revealing Lupin's secret – that he was a werewolf. When Ron tried to get away contemptuously, the other dark-haired man raised his wand at Ron.

"Apologize!"

"Do not get mad, Sirius. How long have you know?" Lupin asked Hermione.

"For a long time, since Professor Snape set us the essay."

"I've been telling you since the boys' first year that we should have got that slimeball sacked!" Sirius erupted, still looking at Ron.

Neville accused them both of helping White and Lupin tried to explain that was not the case. As an act of good faith he gave them their wands and both put their wands away, although Sirius showed much reticence and continued to stare at Ron. Lupin told them he had been looking at a map, surely the one Harry had used sneak into Hogsmeade, and he had seen them go to Hagrid's hut, no doubt using Harry's Invisibility Cloak – yes, he knew about the Cloak – and then four people had come out instead of three. Then he had seen Arneb White join the four of them by the Whomping Willow. Sirius Black had been visiting him in his office, and he had also witnessed the same. It could not have been a mistake.

Neville was denying that there was another person with them when Lupin asked where Ron's rat was.

"What? What has Scabbers to do with this?"

"Everything," Remus said. "Please, let me see him."

Ron had to make an effort to stop the terrified rat from escaping as it twisted this way and that in his hands. Remus Lupin stared down at the rat.

"What?" Ron said defensively, holding Scabbers close to him. "What does my rat have to do with anything?"

"That is not a rat," said Sirius slowly.

"What do you mean? He is clearly a rat!" Ron said indignantly.

"No, he is not. He is a wizard."

"An Animagus," White said from the side of the bed where he had collapsed, "called Peter Pettigrew."

**xXxXx**

The three boys remained in the shadows while making sure that Snape did not return. Richard was the first to run into his father's office, calling his name, but Remus Lupin was not there. Richard was concerned, and at the sight of the cup on his father's desk, filled with potion, he paled to the point where all his veins were visible.

Then Charles found the map on the desktop, still showing its contents. Snape was outside the castle near the Whomping Willow. The others gathered around and watched as he disappeared into a passageway under the tree.

"I'll get my Cloak," said Harry, darting off. But he returned empty-handed after several minutes. "I can't find it, someone has taken it!" he said desperately.

Richard could not wait any longer. Again Charles and Harry were forced to run to catch up with his pace as he ran down through the castle. It had been a long time now since Snape had left the castle.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	29. Under the moon

**Harry Potter is not mine**, the original story is from Maritza chan and I have help editing it from ArwenFairTinuviel. I'm just making this for fun.

* * *

Ron, Hermione and Neville could not believe what those three men had said. It was impossible - Peter Pettigrew had _died_. There was no way that he could be Scabbers, was there?

White could not wait any longer to commit the crime for which he was imprisoned, but Remus Lupin insisted that they should first explain to the kids what had happened because the rat had been Ron's pet, Neville's parents were those who had died, and he himself knew only half the story.

Ron tried to hide the rat in his pocket but the rat just wanted to escape. Neville could not believe that there was truth in the story – after all, there were witnesses of Peter's death – but White maintained that it had been a trick and that Peter had faked his death. Sirius and Remus had thought all along that Arneb White had killed their schoolmate until they had seen the map that very night – and the map was never wrong.

Hermione made the observation that there had been only seven Animagi registered in the last century, but Remus countered that there were three more illegal at Hogwarts, fourth with White now. Sirius snorted, he was not sure he wanted to let them know the history of their glory years at Hogwarts when he had long kept it secret from their children because of both mothers.

Remus told them that the Shrieking Shack had never been haunted, and that it was he who had made the screams while transformed into a werewolf during his school years. Other than his monthly problem, his years at Hogwarts were amazing thanks to his friends Sirius Black, James Potter and of course Peter Pettigrew. He explained how they had become Animagi to accompany him, although he did not mention the animals they became other than Peter as a rat.

When they had finished at Hogwarts they had remained united, fighting alongside the Longbottoms and White in the War, but it was known that a spy was present among them and everyone suspected each other.

"Peter become closer to me and Frank during that period," continued Arneb. "We were not surprised; it was clear that he was not as talented as his friends and he always looked to Frank for any problem. But he was just trying to get information."

Then Snape came out of nowhere – well, out of Potter's Invisibility Cloak that Neville had left lying under the Whomping Willow. He had been right! Lupin had been helping White to enter the castle and incidentally also received help from an Auror. Black looked at him with great contempt. Snape had seen where they were when he went to Lupin's office to deliver the potion to tame werewolves and saw the map that had been left on his desk, without its contents having been wiped. He had followed and discovered them together in the Shrieking Shack. Snape was as mad as a hatter and, when Remus tried to reason with him, he gagged and bound Remus with chains made by magic, provoking Black to be on guard and it seemed that the two were going to duel to death. It was impossible to say who hated the other more.

Hermione tried to reason with Snape but he only commanded her to be silent. It was beyond reason. He spoke of delivering White to the Dementors, perhaps Lupin too, and something about "revenge is sweet" referring to Black. Was it them or there was something more between those two? Neville was confused and apparently Ron too. Neville noted that Sirius and Remus exchanged glances, the latter seeming to plead that Black should not do anything stupid.

Snape wanted everyone to leave, but before even thinking, Neville was blocking the door.

"Move away, stupid boy!" Snape said with contempt. "If I hadn't saved your ungrateful behind-!"

"Professor Lupin could have killed me all this time," Neville confronted Snape for the first time, with his voice high and without fear. "If Professor Lupin was helping White, why not kill me before?"

"Do not ask me how the mind of a werewolf works, now get out of the way, Longbottom."

"YOU ARE PATHETIC!" shouted Neville "JUST BECAUSE YOU HATE THEM, YOU DON'T WANT TO LISTEN-!"

"SILENCE! I WILL NOT LET YOU TO TALK ME IN THIS WAY!" And sparks came out of Snape's wand.

That was enough for Neville to shout one Expelliarmus, but he was not the only one: Hermione, Ron and Black also cast the spell at the same time. As a result Snape flew through the air and fell down on the ground, knocked out.

"We killed a teacher! We killed a teacher!" Hermione screamed.

But Black approached Snape and, kicking him, said, "Unfortunately not, he is still alive. It would be best to leave him like this for the rest of the night."

Meanwhile, White helped Lupin to get out of his bonds. After Lupin was released he was determined to give evidence to Neville, but Ron did not want to give up the rat. After all, with so many rats in the world, how did White know that this one was Peter?

Then Arneb showed them the picture of the Weasley family in Egypt last summer, where the article said that the boys were to return to Hogwarts, where they studied with Neville. Lupin and Sirius were really surprised by the image, as it showed Scabbers with a missing toe.

"Just when I had him cornered, he started screaming about how I had betrayed Frank and Alice, then he destroyed the road, transformed, and scurried down the drain," White said bitterly.

Ron still refused to believe it, but Neville was convinced because the rat had begun to show signs of stress even before Hermione had adopted her cat. White was vehemently defending Crookshanks and how the cat had helped him acquire the list of Gryffindor passwords from the table of a boy.

"Yes, that was from _my_ table! Because of that I have been in serious trouble!" Neville complained. At least he was relieved to know that he had not lost the list.

Neville again accused White for killing his parents, he was the traitor, he had admitted it. White went on to say he was guilty, but guilty of the death of his brother for having changed at the last minute with Peter, who during the past year had been 'his friend'. Sirius said if that was why, then he was also guilty, because he had told the Longbottoms that Peter was reliable.

Lupin decided enough was enough. He asked Ron rat and this, after being reassured that nothing would happen if it was a real rat, handed it. Together Black and Lupin turned Scabbers into a man, Peter Pettigrew. White, Black and Lupin confronted Peter, who initially stuck to the story that White wanted to kill him to finish his work, then he said he was hiding because he feared Voldemort's henchmen would kill him for sending White to jail. Then Hermione intervened with two key questions: Why, if Peter had been near Neville all this time, had he not done anything? And how had Arneb White escaped from Azkaban without dark magic?

White took a moment to respond to the latter question.

"I don't know," he said, "I think the only reason why I did not lose all sense of reason was knowing I was innocent. The Dementors couldn't remove that knowledge from me as it was not happy as such, and so I remained sane and did not lose my powers. During that time I discovered that the Dementors do not understand the emotions of animals and I gradually worked, despite my weakness, to become an Animagus. It took many years but eventually I succeeded and it got me through the worst times. When I saw the picture in the newspaper I knew that Peter was alive, and well positioned to act if Voldemort should return. So one night I escaped when they brought me my food. I was terribly thin and I could pass through the bars and swim to the mainland as a badger. Since then I stayed in that form all along. I would never hurt Frank or Alice. Frank was my best friend, my brother. Neville, do you believe me?"

Neville nodded; he believed him.

Then Peter began to plead for mercy, first to Sirius who kicked him, then Remus, who looked at him with disgust and simply aimed his wand at him as he rolled up his tunic. Then Peter tried with Ron, Hermione, and finally Neville. In doing so he angered White, who was insulted by the audacity of Peter to dare speak to Neville. Peter, far away and with three wands pointing since White had Snape's wand, was screaming and giving excuses. It was pathetic.

But before being killed Neville intervened. True, he was a nasty rat, but they would all be judged by their actions. The adults agreed that Neville was right and he was definitely his father's son. Peter was tied, Snape was made to float like a puppet controlled by Sirius, who let him hit objects very frequently, and all of them marched back to the castle through the tunnel.

Neville was at the end of the strangest procession. Up front were Lupin and Ron tied to Peter, followed by Sirius with Snape as a puppet and apparently very unaware that the latter crashed his head against the roof of the tunnel. Behind him were White, Hermione and Neville. White was suddenly happy, for if they delivered Peter to the Ministry he would be free at last. White was Neville's godfather at the end of the day, and perhaps with his name cleaned he could get a deal with Augusta Longbottom and those who had taken care of him up till now. Neville agreed, maybe life would be a little easier with someone to balance the pressure exerted by his grandmother.

They left the tunnel and walked across the dark grounds with the only light coming from the distant windows of the castle. Suddenly Peter made a wrong move and Lupin and Black pointed their wands at him. Then a cloud shifted and moonlight bathed the grounds of Hogwarts. Remus suddenly stiffened; Sirius urged Hermione and Neville to go up to the castle while White held them away from Lupin.

Remus Lupin was turning into a werewolf.

**xXxXx**

Snape had long since left Lupin's office when Richard entered the race to the Shrieking Shack with Charles and Harry behind him. But his path was quickly obstructed by Professor McGonagall. They definitely did not have the best record in the school and she knew that if they were running in that way they were likely to be up to something. She made them stop and all three started saying incongruous things at once. She commanded them to be silent. Yes, that night was going to be full moon and Professor Snape had taken the potion to Lupin, and she was sure he would not risk anyone's life out of the castle. What they said made no sense.

She sent them to the Common Room, but she knew that would not be enough to stop them so she decided to escort them. Richard looked terrible. Harry and Charles agreed that if this had been Neville and his group she would have ignored it, but since they were the 'naughty' ones, no one would believe their story. Back in the Common Room, Richard looked as if he was trying to dig a trench, he was pacing up and down so much. The other two did not dare to say anything, because all they would get would be a glare from his friend.

Richard heard footsteps. Fred and George were approaching the Common Room. As soon as the portrait opened, Richard charged out, like a Muggle soda that has been shaken too vigorously. And so once more they were trying to leave the castle.

A meow sounded nearby, but Richard stunned Mrs. Norris. Now they would be in trouble! Charles pulled the cat behind a suit of armour and followed his friend. Soon they were in the Entrance Hall and running across the grounds. Richard was leading them and suddenly the moonlight flooded the lawn after being hidden by the clouds. Harry and Charles stopped dead as they watched their friend, still running, stop being human and become a wolf, fully grown and now running at a much faster speed.

At the same time that Remus Lupin finished transforming and howled, a wolf jumped on him and knocked him down growling, while Sirius Black transformed into a dog, also trying to distract the werewolf, and the three became locked in a furious battle. Neville had no idea from where the second wolf had come from, and one was more than enough!

Suddenly Hermione screamed, yelling that Peter was trying to escape. White tried to stop them but Peter had already transformed into a rat and so White followed him as a badger.

To top this all off, Harry and Charles arrived at the scene of chaos all sweaty, looking like they had run a marathon. Neville and Hermione exchanged glances while newcomers stared at Snape floating in mid-air and the trio of canines fighting. Suddenly the big black dog, the Grim, was running after them, only to transform into Sirius. Charles was left with his mouth hanging open in disbelief as Harry mumbled something.

"What are you two doing out here?!" Sirius shouted angrily. "Get back into the castle, this is very dangerous! GO AT ONCE!"

Both hit each other in their eagerness to obey, while Sirius returned to the fight, which was now in the Forbidden Forest, as a big black dog once more. Charles tried to tug along Hermione, and Neville tried to help Ron, who was in very poor condition. Meanwhile Harry tried to work out how to mobilize Snape.

Suddenly there was a howl, but it was not a wolf or dog. It came from near the lake, the direction taken by White in his badger form, and Neville left Charles to carry the burden of Ron, making both collapse to the ground. Neville rushed to the aid of White with Hermione behind him. Harry was trying to help Charles with Ron, abandoning Snape. If Sirius said they should leave, they would do so. The situation had become very serious and they knew it.

By now Neville and Hermione had reached a clearing where White was back in his human form, surrounded by a hundred Dementors. Neville tried to concentrate on a happy thought so that he could send the Dementors away. After several attempts he achieved a formless Patronus, but it was enough to keep them at bay. Hermione had fallen, as had White. He did not know if the others were also being attacked. That left him alone, feeling frightened. Suddenly a Dementor near him removed its hood, making visible its horrid mouth. Neville was petrified.

Everything went cold, and now he could hear his mother crying again. Neville grasped White's hand in a futile attempt to drag him from the place, but then a Dementor lifted Neville to its mouth. This was it.

But then, like a dream, through the fog that enveloped them Neville saw a silvery light shining brightly, dispelling the Dementors and the horror that surrounded them. He felt himself hit the ground, too weak to stand. He realized that the bright light circulating around them was making the Dementors leave, and warmth returned to him. With what remained of his strength, Neville lifted his head enough to watch the glowing silver animal return across the lake to a familiar figure – but it could not be who he thought it was.

And then he fainted.

**xXxXx**

In the distance a strange mist had arisen. Harry wanted to go to help, but Charles held him back.

"We should go back to the castle now, like Dad said…" He shivered; the cold was reaching out to where they were standing. "…There are too many of them."

"But-" Harry argued, looking at Ron and Snape.

"We can't do anything for them." Charles dropped Ron, who had fainted some time ago.

But Harry still looked toward the lake, his wand in his hand. The Dementors were too close to all of them, and no one else had fought them back to make sure they would be safe.

"Come on!" Charles pulled him by the coat. "We will tell someone inside..."

But as they had hesitated, a couple of Dementors had noticed their presence and were now approaching them.

_"Expecto patronum!"_ Harry cried upon an impulse, and suddenly a silvery amorphous mass was standing between them and the Dementors. It gave them enough time to run back to the castle.

They were at the great doors when they saw the Dementors returning to their posts. Something had pushed them away. They were already in enough trouble so they decided it would be better to wait for Richard in the safety of their Common Room and hope that he would be alright.

* * *

Thanks for reading


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